The Cutting Edge
by savannavansmutsmut
Summary: Bella's life had been hard for years after her parents' death, but she managed to pull it together, graduate and get through cosmetology school in order to support herself. Now a new opportunity that sounds too good to be true is presented by a handsome businessman. Could she be getting into more than she bargained for? Adopted from Dollybigmomma.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is being taken over by Savannavansmutsmut, because Dollybigmomma is a lazy ass that never updates and I want to read the rest of this story.**

**Chapter 1 – The Comb-Over**

I hoped this wasn't a sign.

Lightning streaked across the sky, and thunder crashed right above the house, as I blindly tried to get dressed. It was already after sunset and really cold outside, and the lights were out due to the storm, so the house was all kinds of dark and spooky. As I dug through my closet for something to wear to my meeting, I wondered…what did one wear for this sort of thing, anyway? I wished we were meeting during the daytime, but like me, the gentleman I was meeting had obligations during the day and could only meet me this evening. I finally dragged on the first pair of jeans I found that fit and wriggled into a sweater I dug out of the back of my closet, hoping the two would somehow coordinate. However, knowing my luck, and my wardrobe, that probably wouldn't be the case. But I was already running late, so I didn't have time to find a flashlight right now.

I grabbed my purse and scrambled out to my truck, climbing in while trying not to get too drenched. The hood of my coat blew off, letting my hair get soaked and messing up what effort I had put into it. Now I looked like a damned drowned rat. _Ha, try saying that ten times fast!_ There wasn't much I could do about it given the weather, though, but it still bugged me. I was a cosmetology graduate for heaven sakes, I was supposed to look polished and all put together. Right now, however, I looked like a stray cat trying to climb out of a well. That was going to make a great impression, I mumbled to myself sarcastically.

I drove the hour to Port Angeles, traveling along the darkened streets toward my meeting, trying to avoid the potholes in the road that would surely mess up my alignment again. I couldn't afford another round of auto repairs right now. School had taken a of large chunk what was left of the money from my parents' insurance once I had paid off Charlie's house and all their outstanding bills after they had died. That had been two years ago, on a night just like this, that it had happened…

_I had been living in Arizona with my mother since my parents' divorce, but I came back to visit Charlie pretty regularly. He was the town's Chief of Police and was really busy, but he always took off time for my visits, and so we were close. I nearly lost it when I got word that he had been injured on the job during a drug bust, and so I had offered to come back to Washington and stay with him while he recuperated and help him out after he finally got out of the hospital, which was anticipated to be over Labor Day weekend. He had been shoved down a flight of stairs, so his injuries were pretty bad and would have him out of work and in rehab until after the New Year. The plan was for me to stay until Christmas, and then go back home after Charlie was able to take full care of himself again. _

_Right before I was to leave for Charlie's, my mom had met Phillip. Theirs was a whirlwind romance, and they ended up driving to Vegas and getting married after only having known each other over a weekend. Mom was happy, though, happier than she had been in ages. Phil was apparently good for her. Despite having been divorced when I was just a baby, she and Charlie had remained somewhat friendly, and so they made plans for mom and her new husband to come up with me to Charlie's when he was released from the hospital, so they could spend my sixteenth birthday with me and get me enrolled in high school. They were also going to help me get Charlie to his rehab appointments that first week, until I could get my permanent Washington driver's license. _

_I'd had excellent grades and had been advanced in school. I was actually a year and a half ahead of my peers, so I was scheduled to enter Forks high school as a senior when school started up again. I was only going to be there for the fall, and then I was supposed to graduate at the end of the semester before Christmas and then return to Arizona. _

_I never made it. _

_Charlie's rehab session had been scheduled late that first evening, and so mom and Phil went to pick him up, while I finished making dinner. They never made it home. All three of them were killed, when a truck skidded on the rain-slicked highway, hitting them head on. My whole world was shattered that night. _

_Having no other relatives alive, I became a ward of the state. Charlie's best friend, Billy Black, stepped up and managed to get them to let me stay with them, and he helped me to get Charlie and Renee's affairs settled. Phil had an older daughter from a previous marriage, so she said she would handle everything in Arizona. She handled everything alright. She stripped the house bare; taking every last thing inside it, including things that had belonged to my mother's family for generations. She had either sold or traded everything away for drugs before I could do anything about it. The only reason she didn't get away with selling the house itself was because it was only in my mother's name; they had never had a chance to change it. Phil had been a nice guy, but apparently that was where it ended._

_Charlie's life insurance policy wasn't very much, and our house in Arizona sold way below market value due to the crappy economy and the stripped-down condition of it, so I didn't have much to work with after everything was paid off. I decided I wanted to keep Charlie's house, and once I was able, I would move back there until I knew what I was doing with my future. I quickly got a job at a hair salon in town to help earn my keep, since Billy was already struggling just to feed himself and his son, Jacob. After fighting Jacob off for the third time, though, I filed for emancipation, and at the age of sixteen, I was deemed an adult and was on my own. _

_I moved back to Charlie's house and finished high school, graduating with honors. Even with a scholarship, I didn't have enough money left to head straight off to a four-year university without having to work full-time, too, so I decided to go with a "Plan B" first. I needed something I could train for relatively quickly, something I could always fall back on and do on the side for extra money, something to help better support myself while saving up for the university. With that goal in mind, I dipped into my meager inheritance and enrolled in a cosmetology college during the day, as well as a massage therapy school at night in Port Angeles. I figured I could make decent money being able to perform full spa services while I saved up, and then I could attend a university later on for the degree I really wanted. Working in a salon was not my first choice of careers, but I had a knack for it, and the tips were decent, so I went with it as a means to an end…_

It had now been three years since the accident, and between house and car repairs, taxes and the high cost of living, I was still no closer to leaving Forks, at least not any time soon. I wished Charlie and Renee were here to see me now, though. Of course, they would have probably been happier if I had still been going to school out east at some fancy Ivy League university that cost more per semester to attend than Charlie made in six months, but at least I had done _something_ with myself besides drop out of high school and settle for living on the rez with Jacob and Billy. That would have been Jake's preference, to keep me there, barefoot and pregnant by now, but I still had my eye on that Ivy League education. It was just going to take a while before I could afford it.

Today, I was taking a huge step. At nineteen years of age, I was heading out for a meeting, where I would potentially become a business owner. I was meeting a Mr. Cullen to negotiate investing my talents and remaining money into a new salon he was planning on opening near the downtown area. Apparently, the place had once belonged to his grandparents, who were a barber and a beautician, and it needed a little bit of updating. He assured me it was completely doable, though, and I would have great access to clientele who worked around there and would appreciate my services and pay well for them.

I turned down the street of the address I had been given. I knew there were several hair salons in the area, but Mr. Cullen had a vision of a state-of-the-art spa that offered cutting-edge services to a growing customer base. It had all sounded so wonderful. However, as I parked my truck next to a small silver car in front of the two-story building with the address he had given me, my mouth fell open in shock.

Was he serious?

I could see someone through the filthy windows pacing back and forth inside, and I assumed it was Mr. Cullen. There was a dim light shining behind him from what looked like a camping lamp, and I could see he was quite tall. I slowly got out of my truck and walked to the door, pulling it open and gasping. The place was almost indescribable. It looked like I had stepped back in time to the 1940's, and World War II had been raged right here in this little shop from the looks of it. The place was a disaster.

The man who had been pacing looked up at me, and had I not been so shocked, not to mention pissed, I would have found him extremely attractive.

"Ms. Swan, thank you so much for coming. I-" he started, but I cut him off.

"A little updating? You've got to be kidding me!" I growled at him, "I've seen tamer looking haunted houses!"

I turned on my heel, ready to stomp my way back out the door, when he caught my elbow.

"Please!" he said in a begging voice, "Please, just hear me out. I'm sorry if I seemed to misrepresent things, I really didn't mean to mislead you, it's just that…this place means so much to me, to my family," he said sounding so genuine. "Can we please just talk?"

I finally turned around and looked at him in the dim light of the camping lamp. He looked like he was on the verge of tears, and being the sucker I was for a sensitive guy, I nodded. I was still seething, but I was starting to calm down some.

He pulled out a large, long roll of papers and unfurled it in one of the old pink chair seats, pulling the camping lamp a little closer so that I could see it was a set of blueprints and some sketches.

"My great-grandparents opened this shop in 1946 after the second world war. They put every dime they had into building it and getting it off the ground. They spent their whole life here and taught my grandmother, my father and then me their trade. There's are living quarters upstairs, as well as their house out back, where they lived until they passed, and it's where I live now. That was where my grandmother as well as my father was born, in that house. I played in the yard here as a child, and all my best memories are here. When I was born, my grandmother retired so she could watch me during the day while my parents worked. She recently passed away and left the place to me, her oldest and favorite grandson," he smiled.

"I own the property outright, and there are no liens or back taxes owed on it. It's all clear and ready to be renovated. As you can see, the place hasn't been in business for over thirty years," he said gesturing around the room. "As bad as it looks now, the underlying structure is amazingly still very sound and just needs some minor repairs. The worst of it is cosmetic. I've consulted a contractor, an interior designer and an architect, also known as my brother, Emmett, my sister, Alice, and my mother, Esme Cullen, and they've drawn up some plans for improvements. That's where you come in," he smiled sheepishly.

"I'm not a wealthy man, Ms. Swan, just your average guy. I can foot about a fourth of the costs up front with what savings I have set aside, and I can get another fourth of it financed on my own; it's that last half that's the holdup. I know it doesn't look like much now, but I know it could be. I just need someone who's willing to see beyond the broken tiles, dirt and dust to help me get it off the ground again; someone who has a dream and a vision and is willing to work hard and take a chance."

He walked up to me slowly, and the intensity of his gaze had me spellbound. "Are you that someone, Ms. Swan? Can I count on you to help me bring this place back to life?" he asked, and his deep voice cracked on the last word. I was frozen in place, held there by his mesmerizing, hopeful eyes and his intoxicating smell.

I could only nod yes.

"Great!" he clapped enthusiastically, breaking the spell. "I have the contracts right here. Give them a once-over, and then let me know when you're ready to sign," he said with a wide grin, shoving a large envelope into my hands, before he clicked off the camping lamp and ushered me out the door. He quickly hopped in his car and was gone around the corner before I could even blink.

I stood there in the downpour, stunned at his rapid change of demeanor. My mouth was still gaping after him as he drove away, while the icy rain drenched my hair yet again.

What the hell had I just agreed to?


	2. Chapter 2

**This story will be moving over to Savannavansmutsmut's page, as she's adopted it, because in her words, "Your lazy ass won't update it fast enough." How well she knows me…**

**Chapter 2 – The Updo**

After my meeting with Mr. Cullen, I went the next morning to my bank to talk to Mr. Cheney, my assets manager, about investing in the shop.

"Bella, after looking this over, I have to say I'd advise you against it. If you really want to do something with this place, I suggest you do it on a much smaller scale and take out a secured loan, using your savings as collateral. The place has a living space as well. Instead of repurposing the area like is planned here, I think you should consider renting out the space to start with to help with the cost of running the place. Businesses usually don't make any kind of return the first year, and I don't want to see you fail. I can contact my brother, Bradley, and have him look over the architecture plans, if you're still interested."

Mr. Cheney was making a lot more sense than Mr. Cullen had. He was only six years my senior, but he was the pocket-protecting math genius who kept my finances in the black.

"If he wouldn't mind. I believe Mr. Cullen is rather anxious to start the renovations. I'd like to have something ready, when I meet up with him again to give him a sort of counteroffer."

"Of course, I'll get him on it now."

Bradley Cheney did amazing work. He'd taken the plans Mr. Cullen had left with me and rearranged them on a much smaller scale, while also leaving the option of expanding later on.

Downstairs, there would be four semi-private hair booths, two stations for mani-pedis with massaging chairs, plus a massage/body wrap room and a room for waxing private areas, with a full bathroom between the two. The back of the building held a half bathroom for hair and nail customers to use, a small kitchen staging area designed for serving hors d' oeuvres and wine preparation, as well as a full laundry room, which was to be used by the business and also the tenants who would live upstairs. There were four studio apartments on the upper floor that could later be converted for more extensive spa treatments.

I had my new plans and was ready to face Mr. Cullen. If he truly wanted to reopen his grandparents' place, this would be the only way I'd concede.

He looked confused, when I walked into the shop carrying a second set of plans and a TV tray table to lay it out for him to look over.

"Mr. Cullen, if you want to do this, we need to do it in such a way that I feel comfortable. You're asking me to take a big risk and put my financial life in a precarious position. I do have a counteroffer with the same plan for an upscale salon, with the option to expand once business has stabilized." I rolled out the new plans, and he looked over them with a furrowed brow.

"What are these spaces upstairs?"

"They're studio apartments, to help bring in some money until business is stabilized. This would be my livelihood. I need a sure form of income to help cover the loan and utility payments to run this place until we have a steady, established client base. How quickly do you think you can get this plan completed?" I tapped my finger on my alternate blueprints.

"This wasn't what we agreed upon."

"I haven't signed any contracts, Mr. Cullen. If you wish to go with a different investor, by all means, you're free to do so."

I started to roll up my plans and fold up my table.

"Wait, just…can I take the plans and look them over?"

I handed them over with a smile. "You have my number, Mr. Cullen. I'm ready when you are."

He'd railroaded me the first time around, but I wouldn't allow him to do it a second time. I was a strong independent woman. He would hear me roar if he didn't submit.

When I looked back, he wore a crooked smile, as he studied the plans I had given him. I had a feeling he would concede to my changes. I honestly hoped he would. Looking over the blueprints Bradley Cheney had drawn up had gotten me excited.

"Ms. Swan," he called after me. I turned around to see him looking disturbed. "What is this room across from the massage room? It's marked special treatments. I want to make it clear that this building will not be renovated into an establishment of ill repute."

It took me a minute to catch up and be offended. "I'm not a whore or a pimp, Mr. Cullen. That room is for waxing."

"Like eyebrows and moustaches?"

"Brazilians."

"I doubt there are enough Brazilians in the area to warrant dedicating a whole room to them."

"No, Mr. Cullen, a Brazilian wax is a service, not a reference to people."

"There's no body part named after Brazil. Do you really think you can pull a fast one on me, Ms. Swan?"

I let out a frustrated sigh and looked up Brazilian waxing on my cell phone. I held up a textbook drawn picture for him to see. "It's a pussy wax, Mr. Cullen. Some women do it for special occasions like wedding nights or anniversaries."

His eyes went wide and then darted down to my crotch. I suddenly became very self-conscious. "A trained cosmetologist should know this information, Mr. Cullen. Are you licensed?" I asked, as I discreetly dropped my hands to my crotch.

He cleared his throat, leading me to believe that he wasn't. "I'm working on it."

Mr. Cullen ultimately accepted the changes to the plans, and work was started immediately. It quickly turned into a money pit, sucking down funds faster than they were approved. Thankfully, Mr. Cheney had seen the age of the building when he'd looked over the first contract and had planned for such a crisis.

I was waiting for an electrician, when Alice Cullen, Mr. Cullen's meddling sprite of a sister, popped in. She and their mother had been hell bent on spending every last penny on ridiculously extravagant decorating, causing us to butt heads repeatedly. They'd both made it very clear they weren't happy with the changes. I was firm, though, and thankfully, Edward, or Mr. Cullen, backed me. Neither of us thought it was necessary to have Italian marble flooring or premiere-grade granite countertops in the hidden business kitchenette.

"Isabella," she greeted me with a tight smile.

"Alice, was there something you needed?"

She let out a little huff, "You know, this place would look magnificent if you'd let me and my mother do our job."

"It'd end up being on over-decorated rat trap. This is a business, not a doll house. Wasting funds that need to be in reserve to do maintenance while we build a client base won't help anyone."

"This is my family's building!"

"It's partly mine now as well."

Edward came walking in the back door. "Has the electrician shown up yet?"

"No, but your sister has," I said with a bit of disdain in my voice.

He frowned at his sister. "Was there something you needed help with, Alice? I thought you and mom got all the measurements last week."

"Yes, but I was thinking if we just rearranged…"

"No, Alice, we can't afford to do any more at this point in time."

"This place was supposed to be bigger and grander!"

"And open. I should've considered our business strategy first. Ms. Swan's plan is sound. This place will be successful if you'll quit fighting us every step of the way and do your job within bounds of the budget!"

"Did someone call for an electrician?" a man called from the front door.

"Yeah, come on back. There's some work that needs to be done upstairs. Do you have your work order?" I asked.

"Yes, it's pretty extensive."

"Believe me, I know," I grumbled. "I need these apartments ready by the end of the month."

My first loan payment was coming due fast, and it'd be coming out of my savings. The renting of the four studios would bring in enough to cover the loan payment and what we projected would be half of the utilities, but with the need to replace everything, we were going with energy efficient stuff, which of course caused another tantrum by the Cullen women. They weren't pleased we were limiting their options, but those limits were loosening up funds that would keep the shop open, even if business was slow, and I had a feeling that it'd be very slow to begin with. The option to be able to cover one hundred percent of the utilities was a no-brainer. Thankfully, Edward backed me on that decision as well. Now if I could just get the poor fool to stop looking at my crotch, everything would be peachy keen.

It was time to start interviewing technicians. There wasn't a very wide pool to pick from, and I knew our choices could make or break the shop. One bad haircut or treatment could send the whole town running in the other direction.

The first few interviews we did weren't promising. I asked the first girl, who I was sure was naturally blonde, if she had her own tools.

"Why would I need tools? I thought we were just doing hair."

"Do you cut hair?" Edward asked patiently.

"Yes," she answered like he was stupid.

"With what?"

"Scissors," she scoffed.

Her lack of using the word sheers made me put a huge red "X" next to her name. "Do you have a license?"

"You saw I parked out front."

"I think that's all we need for today, thank you."

I quickly dismissed myself, needing a break from the exposure to the mind-numbingly low IQ. I was about ready to get back into the thick of things, when Alice stopped in.

"Edward," she let out her signature huff, so I stayed in the back a little longer to avoid her. "I have the final paint swatches for the apartments. Thank god we were allowed to get the good stuff."

"Excuse me," a deep southern-sounding voice drew everyone's attention, pulling me out of my hiding place.

"Can I help you?" I asked the hot buff guy standing in the doorway.

He gave me a cheeky grin, "Possibly, if you can tell me where to find Mr. Cullen and Ms. Swan."

"That's us," I pointed to Edward, who was eyeing the man's full-sleeve tattooed arm. I think Alice might have stopped breathing. I bumped her for good measure, or possibly shoved her, but I'd swear it was for her own health if accused.

"Please, come this way," I directed him to where we had a little table set up.

"Yes, Ma'am, that's something I'll gladly take direction on."

Edward yanked on my shirt, "I think he made a lewd remark," he hissed in my ear.

I giggled. "I know."

"Do you have a resume, references?" Edward asked a little snippily.

The man pulled out a thick stack of papers, "Yes, Sir, all glowing, of course."

Edward handed me a copy of the resume. "Jasper Whitlock, it says you just moved here from Texas?"

"Yes, Ma'am, my sister's husband is serving overseas, and he asked me to come up here and keep an eye on her."

"That's very sweet of you." I was already impressed.

I noticed Jasper glance behind us several times during the interview, and I thought it might have been him trying to recall facts, but then I heard Alice stumbling around, and I had a sneaking suspicion it was her grabbing his attention.

"I see you have a variety of talents, Mr. Whitlock."

He gave me a mischievous grin, "You could say that, Ma'am."

"What skills would you be looking to employ if given a chance to lease a space with us?"

"I'm very well versed in men's hair and grooming. I work a straight razor like I'm frosting a cake, and I'm licensed to pierce and tattoo as well."

"I don't think we'd want to offer those services…" Edward started to shoot him down.

I squeezed his shoulder, trying to settle him down. "I think piercing would be beneficial to add to our list of offered services." Edward looked at me like I had grown a second head. "I think with a little research, you'll find it's difficult to locate a store close by to pierce little girls' ears."

"There isn't one," Jasper answered bluntly. "I looked around when I first started job hunting. There's a tattoo parlor down by the dock that does piercings, but I wouldn't take my dog in there. I can't see how they're still licensed. It's definitely not a place a lady should go, let alone a little girl. I do piercings of all types, I have all my own equipment, and as you'll see from my references, I'm highly skilled and very good at what I do."

"Yes, well, isn't that interesting." Edward was definitely flustered.

"I see that my associate and I have some discussing to do, but I'm sure we'll be in touch with you shortly, Mr. Whitlock," I smiled.

"Oh and here's this," he handed me a lease application for one of the studio apartments.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Whitlock. I really appreciate your interest."

"It's been my pleasure, Ms. Swan, Mr. Cullen," Jasper said getting up.

"Alice Cullen," Alice pushed forward, butting in to shake his hand, when she saw Jasper was leaving.

Jasper's eyes darted to Edward, I was sure wondering if Alice was his wife.

"Oh, I'm not related to him," she waved at Edward.

"You're my sister!" Edward said appalled.

"Not related in any way that matters!" she insisted.

"Well, it was very nice to meet you as well, Alice Cullen," Jasper said with his southern drawl and kissed her hand. I'd swear she looked like she was about to faint.

He headed for the door, and Alice kept her eyes on him, or his butt, I should say. I glanced at Edward to see how he was handling his little sister gawking at Jasper. He had a scowl firmly affixed on his face. I smacked the apartment application against his chest to get his attention. "He seems promising. You should do the background check on him."

"Yes, I should," Edward growled and turned away, just in time to miss Jasper looking back at Alice and catching her perving on his backside. He gave it a little shake, making her jump and look up at his face. He gave her a few quick suggestive tongue flicks, flashing the tongue ring he had in. Yeah, definitely a good thing Edward had missed that.

**A/N: Again, if you're loving this strong, independent Bella, this sexy, tongue-flicking Jasper and this uptight Edward, follow this story over to Savannavansmutsmut's page, where it'll be updated in the future.**

**I'm going to be continuing with Truth in Advertising, so make sure you check that one out.**

**Dollybigmomma signing out over here…**


	3. Chapter 3

Dollybigmomma did the beta dance all over this chapter.

Hope you enjoy this

Chapter 3 - Braiding

The rest of the interview appointments didn't seem to be going much better, until an interesting pair of women walked in. The tall blonde smiled widely. "I'm Rosalie Hale, and this is Tanya Denali. We're here to apply for positions. I specialize in women's hair, face and body. If it's hairy, I know what to do with it. Tanya is a nail technician and is also certified in massage and aromatherapy."

"I can handle any appendage," Tanya said proudly.

"Appendage?" Edward hissed in my ear, "First you want, Mr. pierced and tattooed, and now you want an appendage rubber. I think you've deceived me, Ms. Swan. I told you that I won't stand for this place to be…"

"Mr. Cullen, I believe Ms. Denali was referring to arms, legs, feet, and hands?"

She nodded quickly, "I also give good head…"

"Oh, my heavens!" Edward snapped.

I jerked him away from the interview table. "Get a hold of yourself. You're being completely inappropriate. This is not junior high. She didn't say penis, she said head." I smacked him on the back of his and took my place back at the table and picked up their resumes.

"As I was saying, I'm talented at _scalp_ massages, and I could also help with the shampooing," Ms. Denali clarified.

I smiled when I saw they both had current licenses. It was insane the amount of people who had just walked in here thinking they could cut hair all willy-nilly.

"I see all your paperwork is in order. What would be your goal of working here?" I asked both.

"Well, it's rumored that this place is going to be big. I'd like to establish a solid client base. Repeat customers are the best way to boost business. Not to sound conceited, but I'm extremely talented and work quickly. I can style a wedding party of six in just three hours, and that includes shampoos and cuts. My customers don't feel rushed, though. I just have fast hands." Rosalie pulled a pair of sheers off her belt and spun them too fast to see, popping them from hand to hand, and then put them back in her belt like a gunslinger. "I'm ambidextrous. It makes for fast easy work, and it entertains the customers."

"Impressive," I said and looked to Edward to see if he was as impressed as I was. I could only guess that he was, as he was flinging his hands around, trying to mimic the blurred motions we'd just witnessed.

"I see you've also turned in applications for an apartment."

"Yes, we plan to share." Tanya squeezed Rosalie's hand and kissed her fingers.

"You're lesbians? First tattoos and body piercing and now-"

"Edward, choose your next words very carefully," I snapped.

"You're a lesbian, too?" he gapped at me shocked.

"Too?" we heard Emmett walk in. He was Edward's older brother and our construction manager. "You all are lesbians? Man, that's a crying shame," he complained with his eyes fixed on Rosalie.

"I can't speak for Ms. Swan, but sweet Tanya here is, and I'm bisexual," she gave Emmett a taunting grin, "Both is nice."

He bit his fist, groaning, "God-damn, fuck, that's hot."

She giggled at him. "Yes, it can be."

"Please, tell me you're hiring her," Emmett whispered a little too loudly.

"I'm definitely leaning that way. I just need to-"

"Work on Mr. Stuffy Pants, gotcha. I have faith. You got Mr. Tats hired, you can get Ms. Hottie McNaughty hired. I'm counting on you," he whispered a little lower.

"Ms. Hale, Ms. Denali, you'll hear from us soon," I said with a big grin.

Emmett followed the women out, and I glared down at Edward. "Thank god they're qualified and licensed. You just about opened us up to a lawsuit. They're hired, Edward, and don't you dare give me any lip on this one!"

His eyes widened, "What?"

"The Equal Employment Act…it covers this, Edward. The Fair Housing Act covers the apartment as well. Check out their credit scores and background and let them know they're in when they qualify."

"I…ah…" Edward stuttered, as Emmett came back in.

"So, Bella, you're a lesbian. Rose is hot, am I right or what?" Emmett gave me a salacious grin.

"I'm not a lesbian, but she is hot."

He fist bumped me. "Hell yeah she is. I'll be upstairs getting her place ready." He disappeared up the stairs and left me with a bereft-looking Edward.

"My grandparents would be rolling over in their graves."

"Edward, are you prejudiced?" I asked gently. He did seem naive on all matters female.

"Just old-fashioned, doesn't anyone want the picket fence and kids dream anymore? They're all loft apartments and careers." I was about to say something, but he put his hand up to stop me. "I mean no disrespect. I respect a woman's right to work outside of the home and earn a fair wage. It's just…maybe I want someone a little more old-fashioned, who'd like babies and not see them as a burden or a setback in their life. I get that I'd be the dad and help out fifty-fifty you know, but everyone's all 'free love' and 'who needs a real relationship' these days. They just want to bang your brains out and leave you all alone in a cold bed the next morning with no number or hope."

The poor boy looked like he was about to break into tears. It was obvious he had been traumatized by someone and his innocence discouraged and damaged. I couldn't help it, I pulled him into a hug, and his arms came up awkwardly around me. "It's alright, Edward. There are still people out there who want that. I know I do. Family is extremely important to me." I cupped his face, so he'd see the truth in my words, "The picket fence dream isn't dead."

He blushed, and I backed away, realizing how close I was to him. Our chests were actually touching, and it left my body all tingly and hot. "Now, let's find the last two tenants and workers."

We had five more applicants, and thankfully, we found three more people to add to our team. Jessica was a sweet nail tech who also did facials, makeup, laser hair removal, and was licensed to do Botox injections. Angela was a waxer and hair stylist, and Laurant was a versatile hair stylist who was well versed in ethnic hair as well. Everyone brought unique talents to the table.

I did giggle when Edward asked an obviously flamingly-gay Laurant if he had a "white picket fence and family" dream. Laurant leaned forward, took his hand in both of his and said, "Oh, you sweet beautiful man, I'm sorry I have to let you down. I'm in a committed relationship. I do hope to get the picket fence and family with my husband, Tyler, someday soon."

Edward looked a bit stunned. I knew he knew Laurant was gay, but I guess he didn't realize his question could be misconstrued as a pick-up line. "I hope you do, too," Edward tacked on, and I went back to questioning Laurant about his resume and skills.

We had done a bit of light advertising in the area, mostly with flyers and a "coming soon" sign in front of the shop. We were planning a grand opening event with more advertising, but we wanted to get our feet wet and see how we worked together as a team and check the flow of the shop to see if we needed to make any adjustments, before we pulled out the big guns.

Our soft opening day was coming fast. Jasper, Rosalie, Tanya, Jessica and Angela had moved in upstairs, and had gotten their personal stations set up. Jasper had his piercing and tattoo equipment stashed in the body wax room. He did have one simple ear piercing gun at his station as well, though. He put up a little pedestal display of earing studs. They all locked under the base of it in a cabinet. It actually looked very fancy and went perfectly with the décor.

I did have a little sign made to sit on our check-in counter and in his station that read, _Petite permanent art designs by Jasper Whitlock. Done by appointment only_.

Edward wasn't happy, but I reminded him how popular tramp stamps were. The fact that all four of the other girls working for us had a small tattoo of some sort sold him.

Edward got his buddy, Mike, to set up a webpage for us. We all had our hair done up and pictures taken for the page. When I listed the services we offered, I knew we were going to do great.

We had links that let people schedule their own body wraps, massage therapy sessions, private piercing, tattoos, waxing and Botox injections. They just had to walk in and give their name, and we would take them to their room quietly, keeping the nature of their service private.

Everyone was dressed in crisp white dress shirts, with black slacks, shoes and vests. Jasper's shirt was long-sleeved, hiding his tattoos. The only visible piecing he had was in his eyebrow. It was a pretty diamond stud that looked really classy.

I had a window sign made that was constructed of stiff material, which could be put in the window or out on the sidewalk. Only our spa name, "The Cutting Edge," was on the shop window, along with our address, phone number and web address. Now we just had to wait for our customers.

We all bounced excitedly, when I flipped the sign to open. Of course, no one came in immediately, and after about ten minutes of waiting, we were getting antsy. Angela suggested we put the sign on the sidewalk, and Jasper went to give her a hand. I noticed a couple of women take notice of him, and of course, he gave them that flirty grin of his. Rosalie stepped outside, wondering what was going on, and she just happened to be flipping her sheers around causally, catching a few more eyes. Laurant was next to follow, and I knew he'd caught the attention of a couple of black women, because he had his hair done up in some sort of fine corn row roses. He looked like he had a bouquet on his head. It was actually quite beautiful. They came over right away, and when they stepped in the door, I did a little happy dance. I looked over at Edward, who was grinning just as big and doing a jig of his own.

Jasper and Rose ushered in a few more customers, and we actually had people in the seating area now. Edward offered them wine and hors d oeuvres as they waited. Rose proved her speed, and Jasper flirted while he trimmed. I was shampooing and getting Rose's next client ready.

Jasper had just finished up with his lady, when a woman came in with a little girl. I was writing them down for a mommy-daughter mani-pedi, when her daughter noticed the earing display. "Mommy, Mommy, they have earrings! Can I get my ears pierced here? I don't want to wait until we go back to Seattle."

"Do you offer ear piercing?" she asked surprised.

Jasper stepped forward with his charming southern drawl, "Yes, Ma'am, I'm licensed to pierce. I have my gun at my station."

"Piercing?" a younger customer asked, once the mother and daughter were distracted with picking out her studs.

"Yes, I have a back room for the fun ones," he winked and pointed at the sign that indicated concealed piercings required appointments. She giggled and immediately booked to have her belly button pierced.

Jasper gave the little girl a lollipop after he'd pierced her ears, telling her in the sweetest voice that she'd done great and looked beautiful. Half the waiting room uttered "aw" at him. When I walked past Edward to get some more wine for our waiting customers, I whispered, "Told you Jasper would be a hit."

Edward rolled his eyes, but then Jasper walked past with belly button girl trailing happily behind him.

I left Edward to man the desk, when I took my first massage customer back. I really didn't think we'd be that busy, but people were on the phone calling their friends to come over. Laurant had his own little following of women who were just fascinated with his hair. What had started with two women, who had followed him in out of curiosity, quickly turned into six women, excitedly waiting for their appointments. I realized that our waiting room would be getting crowded fast, and I wondered if it would always be this busy. I had a feeling that it wouldn't be, but if it was, we'd be expanding a lot faster than I had thought.

By the end of the day, Jasper had done twenty-five piercings and had six tattoo appointments made, on top of the ten heads he'd done. Laurant had had twelve head customers, but the extensive work he'd done on them had really raked in some dough. Rosalie, by far, was most shocking, doing thirty heads in one day. If it hadn't been for her speed, our waiting area would have been overflowing. Angela did eight heads and six facial waxings. Tanya and Jessica did ten mani-pedis each, a lot of the waiting customers having decided to wait in their massage chairs. I did six massages, two wraps and several shampoos, trying to keep up with Rose. Edward manned the receptionist desk and kept everyone's wine glasses full and the hors d oeuvres coming.

When I looked at our upcoming schedule, I saw we also had three Brazilian waxes scheduled, as well as a few other types of intimate waxings. I wondered how Edward had kept it together when he'd made those appointments.

We had our grand opening a couple of days later, and the following two weeks had our two back rooms booked solid. I was regretting not adding more rooms, but we hadn't known if things would go well. Business would most likely wane a little once the new wore off, but I had hired an excellent staff, and I knew we would have many repeat customers.

Several future "up-keep" appointments had been made for each one of our stylists and technicians. When we finally closed our doors at nine o'clock that night, we cheered and had our own bottle of wine with our feet kicked up. Tyler, Laurant's husband, joined us and teased Edward for trying to steal his man. He was so flustered, it was adorable. I think everyone in the shop got a kick out of giving Mr. Stuffy Pants Edward Cullen a hard time. I had to admit, I did, too.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dollybigmomma loves me, even if she has to beta the nasty mess I sent her in the middle of the night because I was half asleep.**

**Chapter 4 – Hands Down**

Our crew turned out to be quite the powerhouse, and things were going really good. Well, most things. There were still a few things about my business partner I didn't know, but I knew one thing. He was incredibly naïve, and I still didn't know the story behind that. I was sure it would be interesting.

I felt like everyone was treating Edward like the geek in high school, though, and I really didn't like it. They'd tease him in ways he didn't fully understand in his naivety. I was not sexually adventurous or experienced in any way, but even I had picked up on the names of different sex positions and acts during high school and college. Our naive boy hadn't; the others were amused by his innocence, and I was getting annoyed by their antics.

I was pretty sure Edward wasn't happy with the atmosphere their attitude was cultivating. The fact that Jasper flirted with every female who walked through our doors didn't help. Not to mention he seemed to have some weird obsession with my ass. Every time I looked over my shoulder, Jasper's eyes were on it, and then he'd give a little head nod to Edward, who'd be silently fuming. I was just relieved he never made a move on me or tried to smack or grab it.

One morning, I walked in on a conversation I really didn't want to hear, but was glad I had been there to stop. "Please, Edward, would I lie to you about something as important as this?"

"I don't see how a piercing could give me more confidence in the…you know…"

"The bedroom? I swear it would. You can't go wrong with a Prince Albert. You're guaranteed to hit that spot. You just have to jack off before it, so you have the stamina."

I wasn't positive where that piercing was, but I could guess, and I had to put a stop to it. "Boys, what are you up to?"

"Nothing," Edward squeaked nervously.

"I was just having a discussion with Edward about dick piercings," Jasper said casually.

"_What_ piercings?" I guess Edward hadn't caught on that genital piercing was what Jasper had been talking about.

"Back me up here, Bella. A Prince Albert straight up and down with a nice big stainless steel ball to hit that spot is something every girl would love, right?"

Edward covered himself. He was clearly in shock and trying to protect his goods. I stepped between him and Jasper. "There'll be no piercing of Edward's dick. I'm sure it's great all on its own."

Edward let out a little squeak behind me. Jasper was wearing a cocky smirk. I turned around and yanked Edward by his arm, leading him into the back room. He kept his hands over himself the whole time, and he was a blushing mess. The poor thing was just adorable. I was pretty sure he was on the verge of going into shock, and calling an ambulance would be bad for business.

I reached up and grabbed his face in my hands and tilted it down to mine, so he could look me right in the eyes. "Edward, I'm not going to let Jasper near your dick, I promise. Are you going to be okay?"

He was still looking at me wide-eyed. I finally pried his hands apart and hugged the poor thing. His arms were slow to wrap around me, but held me tight once they did. He put his nose in my hair and breathed in deep. "I'm sorry I'm such a freak," he whispered so soft I almost missed it.

I'd swear I was on the verge of firing Jasper for making Edward feel that way. I snuggled my face into his chest, trying to hide how upset I was, because I didn't want him to think I was mad at him. I squeezed him harder, and once I knew I had things under control, I stepped back and looked up at him with every ounce of sincerity in me. "You're not a freak, Edward, not even close."

His eyes finally met mine, and I hated seeing how broken he was. I ached to comfort him. I yearned to make everything better. My fingers somehow worked their way up into his hair. It was silky and just the perfect length to play with, but still look clean cut. "I swear you're not a freak. You're perfect just the way you are." My whole body felt charged, and we were both struggling to breathe now.

There was a loud banging on the door, and Jasper shouted, "If you're done humping your crush, I need the room for a piercing."

Edward jumped across the room like I was on fire. I could tell he was on the verge of a panic attack. Jasper opened the door, wearing that cocky smirk of his, and I slapped him, _hard_. I didn't know why. I'd liked to have blamed it on PMS. I hadn't hit anyone since Jake, but I full-on slapped Jasper, knocking him into the doorframe.

He did not seem pissed, just bewildered. I didn't think he'd figured out what had happened yet. "You're an ass!" I growled and stormed out the back of the shop, trying to minimize the scene I'd just caused.

I sat down on a crate in the back alley and didn't realize I was crying, until Edward knelt in front of me and wiped my tears away. "And you thought you were the freak," I laughed blackly.

His sweet green eyes were full of obvious concern. "Maybe we're the normal ones in a room full of freaks, and that's why we feel so out of place."

I chuckled, liking his explanation, and nodded in agreement.

It was close to lunchtime, so, coward that I was, I hid out until Jasper had left for his break. Edward was cool about letting me know when Jasper had left. I came in and sulked in my booth. I had a feeling the others knew something was up, because they were all quiet. At least they didn't glare. Angela came back from lunch and brought me a drink. Jessica, Tanya and Rosalie all left to go get their food. Jasper still hadn't returned, and I wondered if he was going to quit. I was on the verge of firing him before, but sanity won out, and I knew having someone to do piercings and tattoos was a real benefit to the business.

I was stunned, when he returned from lunch with a small bouquet of flowers. That was the absolute last thing I'd expected from him. I was sure he'd shout, sneer or quit, but he apologized instead. I took the flowers and thanked him, not sure what to do.

Rosalie didn't look happy about his response. I think she was expecting him to lay into me, too, and was disappointed when he didn't.

"I'm so sorry, Jasper. I don't know what got into me."

"I do, and it's cool. I'd been pushing it lately." He looked up at Edward and smirked. "I just hope things are cool between us. I promise to lay off you and Edward."

"Thank you." I wasn't sure what he meant when he'd said "you and Edward," but I'd take it. I pulled him down and kissed the cheek I'd slapped. "I hope it doesn't bruise."

"I've had worse, so don't think it will. If it does, I can always get powdered up by Jessica. You sure pack one hell of a slap."

I laughed, only half amused. "Yes, well, Jacob could be a little to handsy. You're lucky I took it easy on you."

"Jacob?" Edward asked.

I realized then that I'd never told anyone about my life. I wasn't ready to share everything, but I guess I needed to give some sort of explanation. "Yeah, long story, but he's an ass I know who thinks he's God's gift to women and doesn't like to take no for an answer." I noticed everyone tensed up around me. I clutched my flowers to my chest and jumped a little when Edward touched my shoulder. "He didn't...I was always able to fight him off, so it's not a big deal. I'm going to go put these in water."

It was turning out to be just an all-around awkward, shitty day.

I was surprised when Rosalie followed me into the little kitchen. "I can teach you some defensive moves," she offered.

"My dad was a cop, but thanks for the offer. Like I said, I can kick Jake's ass when he bugs me. I just avoid him now, though."

"Has he ever, you know, hurt anyone else?"

I looked up at her worried face and shook my head no. At least I was pretty sure Jake had never tried to do anything like that to anyone else. "No, he just felt I owed him something. He's always had a crush on me, and things…" I stopped, not ready to share about my family yet, "Things changed," I said a little more firmly, so she'd know I didn't want to talk about it any further.

I decided to call it an early night and went home long before closing. I was sure Edward could handle locking things up just fine. I soaked in my little tub and covered my eyes with my hands, wishing the day away. I only hoped that a good night's rest would be enough to distract everyone from what had happened.

Of course, God hated me, so the next day was even worse. I really regretted saying anything about Jacob, because when you spoke of the Devil, he appeared. Lo and behold, Jake sauntered into the shop with that cheeky grin of his the next morning. I decided to do my best not to say his name. I had a feeling he'd get stabbed with a pair of sheers by more than one person if they knew who he was, and that'd be bad for business.

"Bella, baby, look at you, you look fantastic! I heard you'd opened up a shop here. It looks great," he said coming too close for comfort. I had my sheers in my hand, and I poked him in the chest to keep him from hugging me. "Come on, baby, don't be like that."

"Did you want something?" I asked politely, trying to hold it together.

"You know what I want." He grabbed the tip of my sheers, but luckily for me, I had another pair and poked them further down, toward the family jewels.

"Answer's still no," I said firmly, doing my best to not cause a scene. It was terrible. I was the one who really caused the most trouble at our place.

"I need a haircut and a shampoo," he ran his hand through his hair, giving me that _look_, but I was pretty sure he wouldn't try anything with everyone around us, at least I hoped. I decided it would be best if I took him myself, because if he introduced himself to anyone, I was sure they'd mess up his hair and ruin our reputation. Jake was a loudmouth, whiny brat. I knew he'd do his best to slander the shop and ruin our business if he didn't get his way.

I led him to the back, thankful the shampoo chairs were all visible, but that didn't stop him. His hand slid up my thigh, but I was able to grab his finger and nearly snap it. "Hands to yourself," I growled lowly, hoping no one else heard or saw what was going on. When he tried it again, I purposely got shampoo in his eyes and nearly drowned him by spraying the rinse hose up his nose. He sputtered and jumped around franticly. I just smiled innocently. "Sorry, I was distracted. Don't touch me again, especially since I'll have scissors so close to your face. I'd hate for something to happen while I'm cutting your hair."

"You're being a drama queen, Bella."

I wrapped up his head and led him to my chair. I knew how he usually wore his hair, so I didn't even bother to ask how he wanted it done. I started in the back, knowing that once I moved around to the front, he'd start something again. His eyes were focused on me, watching me in the mirror a little too closely for my liking.

As predicted, when I moved to the side, ready to trim around his ears with my clippers, his hand came up to my breast. I promptly bopped him in the nose with my elbow. "So help me, Jake, if you touch me again, I'll shave you bald."

"Don't be like that," he tried to console me. What a fool.

"My sheers are sharp. I know you don't want me to stumble and accidently stab you with them, because I'd sure as hell aim for your crotch."

The jerk had the nerve to roll his eyes at me. I moved to the other side of his head and saw Jasper glaring from across the way. I looked over at him, wondering what was going on, and I noticed Edward frowning, watching us closely as well.

I finished up with my clippers and stepped in front of him, needing to put them away and grab my comb to trim the top. His hands went right for my ass, and I swatted them away, only to be yanked back into his lap. Before he could touch me any further, I was yanked from his lap, and he was punched in the face by Jasper.

"What the fuck?" Jake cried, as he was yanked up out of the chair and then knocked back down into it by another punch.

Jasper was rearing back, ready to beat the shit out of him further, but I stepped in, grabbing his fist. We really didn't need the legal problems that it could start. They all looked confused, when I interrupted the beat down. Rose stepped next to me and was whipping and twirling two pairs of sheers. She looked downright scary.

"You need to leave, Jacob." I grabbed a towel from my station to cover his bloody nose. "Don't come back," I warned, and Rose stabbed a pair of her sheers into the wooden partition. They stuck deep, like a throwing knife, making Jake jump a little. Her glare was freaking psycho.

Tanya nearly choked him while taking off his cape, and Edward kicked the chair, spinning it around and yanked him out of it. Jake stumbled a little and was escorted out by him and Jasper.

"You keep your hands to yourself!" I'd never heard Edward sound so furious. "If you ever touch her again, you won't be walking!" He shoved Jake out the door, making him fall onto the sidewalk. There were a few customers sitting in the waiting area who had seen everything and had heard what was said. They glared at Jake, as he stumbled and took off. I just hoped that they would spread the truth about what had happened, before Jake could spread his lies.

I leaned back against my counter, completely embarrassed. Edward pulled me into his arms, soothing me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, that was just handsy Jake," I said hiding my face in his chest.

"Tanya, we need to go ninja on his ass," Rose said so seriously that it made me chuckle, until I peeked at them and saw Tanya nod yes firmly with no mirth at all.

"Consider his ass kicked," Tanya said without hesitation and pulled the stuck sheers out of the wall and twirled them with just as much skill as Rose.

It was then I realized that it was very possible they somehow secretly _were_ ninjas. How cool was that?


	5. Chapter 5

**The Cutting Edge **

**Chapter 5 – Taking the Bait**

I was thankful that things had gone back to normal after the Jake incident…well, almost. Jasper must have passed on that I didn't like people teasing Edward, because they all seemed to stop. Now they were all giving him nice greetings, and he even got a few appreciative looks from Laurant, which was just teasing and all in good fun.

I only caught Jasper checking out my butt once. The second time I thought he was doing it; he walked past me and discreetly told me to look at Edward. I was shocked to find his eyes firmly fixed to my backside. Jasper smirked at me and then called Edward's name. He realized I'd seen him looking, and he turned a deep shade of red and quickly hurried out of the back of the shop.

I was about to go out after him, when he came hurrying back in, talking on his phone worriedly. "It's alright, Mom. I'm on my way. Don't worry about trying to move him. We'll check out his hip when we get him settled. There's no reason to panic." The whole of the shop stopped and listened to the short one-sided conversation. Edward didn't seem to take notice of them, when he turned to me. "I have to go. Do you think you can handle things on your own?"

"I'm hardly on my own. I'm sure we can manage without you for the afternoon. Go take care of your family, Edward. Everything will be fine here," I reassured him.

"Thanks, Bella. I'll see you later," he said and rushed out of the shop.

When the shop settled down a little, Angela spoke up. "So, Edward is helping his mom take care of someone. That seems very fitting for his personality, you know, caring and all." We all nodded in agreement, and that was that.

The next day, he came in looking stressed. I wanted to ask him if everything was alright, but it was obvious that it wasn't. He got a call just after lunch that seemed to make things worse. "They're seriously both out of town? Can anyone from the church drive him?" He let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair, covering his face with his hand.

"Can I help with something?" I asked. There was just something about him that made me want to fix all his little problems. The boy needed to smile, and I wanted to give it to him.

"It's Bella, Mom. I'll call you back in a minute." He looked at me with a furrowed brow, probably trying to gage if I was really willing to help. I sat down next to him and took his hand in mine. It always felt so nice to touch him.

"What do you need, Edward? Tell me, and I'll help if I can."

"I need a driver. I have to take my Grandpa Platt to the doctor to get his hip x-rayed, but Grandpa Cullen is due for his dialysis at the same time. Emmett and Alice are both out of town, and my mom already missed work yesterday and can't get out today."

"Okay, so who am I driving and where?"

He looked at me so hopeful. "Really, you'll drive my grandpa?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll have some fun stories to tell me about you." He blushed a deep red. It looked like he was second-guessing taking my help. I squeezed his hand. "I'm just teasing you."

"I know, but you're right about Grandpa Cullen. He's full of stories. Hopefully, he sticks to talking about his wife and the shop. He's the one who used to run this place."

"Well, then I'm definitely taking him. When do we need to leave?"

Grandpa Cullen's house was just across the alley of the shop. I had no idea I'd been looking at Edward's grandpa's house every time I'd stormed out of the back door. I wondered if he ever looked out the back windows and thought I was crazy, since I seemed to frequently break down on the back steps of the shop.

For that reason, I hung back a little, when Edward walked into the house.

"Edward, is that you?"

"Yeah, Gramps, and I've found someone to give you a ride to your appointment."

"I'd swear that Jerry staged breaking his hip. You'll see, it'll be fine. The fool is selfish. He's been an attention hog ever since you got this house. Heaven forbid you get a life of your own. It's bad enough that you're stuck with me living with you."

"You know I don't mind, Gramps. I like the company."

"You're a bachelor, Edward. You've given up too much for your family already, and that selfish bastard is busy throwing a tantrum, acting like he's gonna die unless you come save him."

"That's not what happened."

"If anyone is dying, it's me, and you don't see me making a fuss over it. Jerry knows when my dialysis appointments are, but he scheduled his appointment at the same time anyway."

"That was the soonest he could get in, and we didn't know Emmett would be out of town. Grandpa Platt is fine with me not taking him. I could send my friend with him instead, but she actually asked to take you."

"She?" Grandpa Cullen asked a little excited.

Edward turned, looking for me. I finally stepped forward into his grandfather's line of sight.

"Well now, I definitely want to go with your friend. What's your name, beautiful? I see you're not wearing a wedding ring. Does that mean you're available?" he asked with a little eyebrow wiggle.

"Grandpa," Edward pouted.

"Did you know my grandson is a businessman? He's well hung like a Cullen, too."

"Oh, my god! Grandpa, stop!"

"I'm trying to help you out, Son. You're a great catch. He owns this house and the little shop across the way," he pointed with his cane.

"She knows, Grandpa. This is Bella, my business partner."

"Really, wow, another young entrepreneur. I thought your partner was some cougar in her forties. I was getting worried, when you said she had a nice backside. That's why I told you good birthing hips don't count as being hot after menopause."

His grandpa was hilarious, and poor Edward was beet red. He covered his face, embarrassed. There was no way Edward could deny saying it, because he knew I had caught him checking out my "backside."

"Well, Mr. Cullen, shall we go?" I asked.

"Mr. Cullen was my father, call me Eddie," he said with a wink.

"Eddie, is Edward named after you?"

"Yup, and it drives his other grandpa, Jerry, nuts. Thank God, though, right? The boy wouldn't have a chance with the ladies with a name like Jerry, but Edward, that's regal."

"I'm rather fond of it myself. So far I've really liked the two Edward's I've met."

"See, Edward, you might have a shot with her yet," his grandpa teased him.

"Yeah, Edward, you just might," I said with a grin, because his grandpa was right. The more I learned about Edward, the more I liked. I think he was definitely someone I wouldn't mind giving a shot.

I led Grandpa Cullen, or Eddie, out to my car and helped him in. "I should be getting your door," he complained. "You know, my grandson has impeccable manners. I know he'd get your door, your chair and your coat, too. Esme taught him right. His mom is a gem, raised him right, after his daddy died.

"The other two are alright. Emmett was already out of the house when Carlisle passed away. Little Alice was home, but had big plans for some technical school. Esme worked her tail off to help pay for it, and Edward stayed home to take care of the geriatric crew in the family.

"Jerry and I only lost our wives two years past. My Elizabeth adored Edward. She wanted me to make sure he got the life insurance money. She wanted him to have the life he wanted, since he'd sacrificed so much for his family already. She wanted to give him every advantage. That money was what he used to remodel the shop and buy my old house.

"When he was just knee high, he used to run around that place like it was his playground. Back then, you didn't have to go to no fancy school or get a license or certificate to cut hair. You just did it. I cut my teeth in the military. That was all easy buzz cuts. I just had to make 'em bald, but I learned my way around a pair of clippers doing it. Of course, you all made the shop up classy. Your clientele is a lot different than what I used to have come through. I dealt with mostly men. As I understand it, you deal with mostly women now?"

"Yes, that's right."I answered as we pulled up to the doctor's office. "We offer a wide range of services. Hair can only grow so fast, but fingernails need more attention, and everyone loves a good massage."

"Edward did say you were into massaging. I thought he was being facetious, but he said you have a legitimate license and everything."

"Yes, I do have a license in massage therapy, but it's difficult to get a job with a doctor's office when you're as young as I am."

He checked in and took a seat, telling me to come and sit with him.

"How old are you?" he asked once we were settled.

"I'm nineteen."

"Really? You're just a baby. Edward is twenty-one. I think he's hung around us old folks for too long. He has the mind of an old man. He'd rather play cards with me than go dancing and meet some girls. He has no desire to go out. He's shy like his momma. It didn't help that he was homeschooled and didn't have regular interactions with kids his own age. He was stuck home with us. Mabel, Jerry's wife, was a school teacher before she retired, so he got a good education. Unfortunately, he's been sheltered all his life because of it. There were programs for home-taught kids, but he didn't go to any of them, because he was so busy looking after us. It's his time to shine, Ms. Bella. He needs to get out and have a life."

"He's a sweet guy."

"Yes, he's a good boy. So, when you said you'd give him a shot, did you mean it?"

I blushed a deep red. I did mean it, but I didn't want to admit to his grandfather that I liked him.

He chuckled at me, "I'm sure you're aware of his interest in you, even if he doesn't voice it. The boy is about as transparent as a hooker's underwear."

The nurse who was checking on him gasped, causing me to giggle. I decided to tease him, because it seemed like Grandpa Eddie could handle it. "Now how would you know about a hooker's underwear?"

"I don't…" he gave me a salacious grin, "Because they don't wear any."

I guffawed at him. He was a riot.

"Okay, beautiful Bella, that's enough about our Edward. Why don't you tell me about yourself? I'll bet your parents are very proud of you."

I felt that familiar pain in my chest.

He reached out and took my hand, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. This is obviously a bad subject for you."

"I'm sorry, it's just…they've been gone for years, but they were my parents, so I don't think I'll ever stop missing them. I'd like to think they'd be proud of me, though."

"I'm sure they are."

"Edward's lucky to have so much family around."

"Yes, but family can be a burden, too. He's no stranger to loss. You may not think it, but he'd be a great person to talk to. He lost his daddy and then his grandmothers. He was really close to my Elizabeth and Jerry's Mabel. We were all a mess. I don't know how he held it together. He was too busy taking care of his mom and me to deal with the loss himself. Lord, that boy's a saint. He really needs someone to look after him. He's always so busy looking after someone else that he never stops to look after himself. If I could just get him a wife…"

Thank heavens he wasn't looking at me when he said that. He was just looking at his lap thoughtfully with a frown.

A different young nurse came in with a flirty grin. "Hello, Mr. Cullen, how is your grandson doing? I see you brought your granddaughter in today instead."

"This is actually a friend of his. My granddaughter couldn't make it."

"Friend?" The nurse didn't sound happy about my status. I suddenly didn't feel too happy about it, either. I didn't like this girl asking about Edward.

"Yeah, they work together. She's giving him a hand today."

"That's nice of her. You know, I haven't heard from him yet. You have put in a good word for me, haven't you?" she asked Grandpa Cullen.

"Don't worry, honey, I will. You know he's on the timid side. I'll give you the signal when I do, and then you can make your move. He'd be too shy to do anything himself. You'll have to grab hold of that boy and make your intentions clear."

I was livid, but hiding it well. Wasn't I supposed to be Edward's… Well, I didn't know what I was, but I was something, and I didn't like the idea that his grandpa was selling me out so fast. I knew Edward was timid, but I was sure if he really liked a girl, he'd make a move on her.

It was only when I was dropping off his grandfather that I realized the truth. I helped Grandpa Cullen inside and heard Edward call to us from the other end of the house. "Hey, guys, how'd it go? Did grandpa behave himself?"

"Of course I did," his gramps said falsely offended.

"We had a good time," I covered for his grandfather.

"Thank you for taking him, Bella. That was very nice of you to help us out," Edward said shyly.

"Anytime, Edward, that's what friends are for."

I saw a twinge of a grimace, before he smiled. "You're a really good friend."

I bent over to pick up my purse and saw him checking out my butt _again_. I knew he liked me, but his grandfather's words rang in my ears. He'd never make a move on me. I hadn't been sure before, but I was positive now. I wanted something with Edward. His grandpa had inadvertently shown me that I could miss out on him. If someone was going to "grab hold" of Edward, it was going to be me.

I turned around, took the three big steps toward him, closing the distance between us, and grabbed hold of his shirt. He looked startled, but I wasn't stopping for anything. I dug my fingers into his soft hair and forced his lips against mine.

It only took him a second to realize what was going on. I was so relieved, when he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me back. When we finally ended the kiss, he wore a big smile and whispered, "Wow."

"Yeah," I agreed. That kiss definitely was a "wow" one.

"Thank God that worked. Nurse Tanya is vapid. Who knows what she would've done the next time Edward showed up. Just be sure to talk about your girl loudly, so she knows you're off the market when we go in again."

"Off the market?" he sounded a little hopeful.

"Yeah," I couldn't hide my goofy grin. I'd been played by his wily old coot of a grandpa, but I didn't care.

Edward smiled so big and blushed a deep red, and then he shyly hid his face in my shoulder, which was adorable. I used his position to my advantage and kissed his cheek. Yes, we were both definitely off the market. No one was grabbing hold of Edward but me!


	6. Chapter 6

**Beautiful Dollybigmomma beta'd my 3am mess and helped me muddle through it by adding our colorful Hillary Bartlett. She's awesome!**

**Sorry it took so long for the update. I've been under the weather, but will get back on the schedule of once a week from here on out.**

**The Cutting Edge **

**Chapter 6 – Dodging Codgers**

**BELLA**

I couldn't stop smiling. It was silly, really, and my cheeks were starting to hurt, but every time I looked over at Edward, I couldn't help it. Heck, just thinking about him made me smile bigger and harder, making me sore, but it was involuntary, I just couldn't stop. He would peek over at me and blush. He wore a cheesy grin on his face, too.

He brought me a sandwich for lunch. It was odd, but cute. It was so very him. He stuttered, as he handed it to me and freaked out when he realized he didn't know if I liked mayonnaise or Miracle Whip. I reassured him that either was fine. The truth was I'd eat anything he handed me. Of course, shortly after that, he realized he didn't know if I had any food allergies. My adorable boy freaked out again, but I just grabbed him and kissed him to shut him up. I promised him that I didn't have any and thanked him for the sandwich. He blushed, when he said you're welcome, all the while twisting the bottom of his shirt nervously. It made me want him more. I wanted to keep him. I needed to keep him for myself. I wanted to drag him into my massage room and kiss him senseless, but we were busy, and people were watching us.

It was obvious that our relationship had changed. Jasper was smug about it. Angela kept giggling about it. Laurant made a few passing comments about me getting knocked up with cute baby Edwards. Thank heavens it was out of earshot of Edward. I was sure the boy would have fainted with embarrassment. The sick thing was that as soon as he suggested it, I couldn't stop thinking about how cute a little Edward would be. Jessica was in la-la-land and Tanya and Rose seemed to think since I was with Edward, I suddenly knew everything about his brother, Emmett. I really didn't, though, and thought it was funny that they were so interested in him. I was sure he'd be thrilled when he found out.

When it came time for Grandpa Cullen to have his dialysis, I insisted I take him again. I didn't want Edward anywhere near that vapid nurse. It turned out that her name wasn't Tanya, but Tamera. Gramps had gotten it wrong, and I wondered if he'd told Edward the wrong name on purpose, so even if things didn't work out with us, he'd insult her by not knowing her name. That was the story I was going with in my head. Of course, Gramps was obnoxious in front of the woman and made it clear that I was with Edward by asking if I was pregnant yet. I stuttered out, "No, not yet."

When I said yet, Gramps got a cheeky troublemaking grin. I knew no matter what happened, I needed to keep my birth control away from that man, or I would be seeing a little Edward sooner rather than later. I just had to convince Edward that he wanted me like that. I was sure he was attracted to me, but he still struggled to talk to me. I knew it would be me who had to force our relationship forward. I'd had to grab hold of him to show him I wanted him to start with, and I knew I'd have to keep doing it, until he was confident enough to grab hold of me in return. I really looked forward to the day when that would happen. I needed it to happen, but I knew it'd take time and possibly some more interference from his grandfather.

When we got back from Gramps' appointment, he insisted he felt good enough to come into the shop for a while and check things out.

"My goodness, you kids are doing a bang-up job. Just look at all these customers!" he exclaimed, as he surveyed the sizeable group waiting for service. Word had definitely gotten out about us, and we had clients lining up now. It made me happy, but the sad news was that a couple of the other salons in the area had gone under. I hated the idea that we might have caused that, but I had to admit, we did offer the best, most comprehensive salon experience in the area now. If the other salons wanted to compete, they were going to have to step up their game.

"Could I get some service here?" I heard someone demanding at the front desk. I looked around the corner to see a woman who had just walked in demanding she be seen immediately. The rest of the clients sitting in the waiting area glared at her.

"Welcome to The Cutting Edge. What can we do for you today?" I asked her as politely as possible, but I had a feeling that wasn't going to help much.

"I've been standing here for forever, and no one has even acknowledged my presence!" she said loudly. She was full of crap, as we had only just walked past this spot merely seconds ago. "I need a trim and style, a mani/pedi and a facial, and I don't have all day. What station can I sit at, so you can get started?" she looked around, spotting the chair at Rose's station that was currently vacant, because Rose had her hair client over at the shampoo basins. The woman stomped over and plopped her generous spandex-covered behind in Rose's chair.

Oh, crap. This wasn't going to end well.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but…" I started, as Rose walked up with her client, who had a towel wrapped around her head.

"It's okay, Bella, I'll take her," Rose smiled widely, reminding me of the Joker.

"Rose…"

"I got this," she said in an even tone and looked at me in such a way that made me back away slowly.

I offered her other client something to eat and whispered to her that I would cut her a discount if she'd play along, so she was happy to come with me and have a glass of wine and some hors d' oeuvres, and get a twenty-five percent cut off her tab. Given that she was in for a full day of treatments; that was going to be a nice discount for her.

"You know who that is, right?" the lady whispered to me, and I shook my head no. "She's Hillary Bartlett, previous owner of _Upper Cut_, the salon over on Fowler Street that closed down last week. I'd watch out for her if I were you. I went to her place for a haircut once, and it was awful. She yelled at everyone in there, and no one could do anything right according to her.

"I don't doubt she's here to cause trouble. This is a relatively small community, and I'm sure most of the people in the waiting area know all about her. That was why no one said anything about you dealing with her. Word on the street is that your people are all really good and very nice, and I'll bet she's doing this to try and make you look bad. I'd put my money on her complaining loudly the whole time and disliking everything done for her."

Sure enough, the woman complained and argued at every turn, and I was sure Rose would have beheaded her by the end of the appointment. However, Rose kept her cool, and the women looked a thousand times better when she finally left than when she'd walked in, although to hear her opinion, she had been abused and disfigured irreparably. When she finally walked out, the whole waiting room applauded Rose, who took a bow. I was glad Rose had taken her on. I would have shanked her repeatedly with my shears before the first ten minutes had passed.

Grandpa Cullen had been sitting and watching the show this whole time, and he smiled widely, once the woman left. "I used to date that woman's grandma back in the day. It looks like the rotten fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. I'm so glad I cut her loose and ended up with my sweet Elizabeth," he sighed wistfully. "Good girls are hard to find, but the men in my family have always been lucky in that respect," he said giving me a wink.

Edward gave his grandfather a trim and a shave, and that quickly became his afternoon routine. Not so much the trim, but the evening shave. I was surprised that Edward had learned to handle the straight razor so smoothly. He had yet to use it on any other costumers, and I had to admit I was relieved. One little slip could mean a lawsuit.

It was just after lunch, when an older gentleman using a walker made his way in. He looked around the room with a bit of a scowl. He didn't seem to be happy with anyone. I made my way to the front desk, holding my smile. "Good afternoon, Sir, how may I help you?"

"Well, at least you used proper English and said 'may' instead of 'can.' Now, I wonder if the rest of 'you people' are as educated. These half-cocked technical schools are a copout. You all might as well be a bunch of dropouts, not able to stomach a real college."

I gave the man a tight smile. "I actually have my bachelor's degree in massage therapy, and I'm qualified to work in a doctor's office, but I choose to work here. I'd appreciate you not making quick judgments about our staff. Now, are you in need of a service?"

The man eyed me shrewdly and frowned. "I want my hair trimmed by a woman."

"Alright, we have a chair about to open. Rose is very skilled," I said pointing to Rose, who was twirling two pairs of sheers at a blinding speed.

The man looked disturbed. "No, no, I want a normal person. Give me that Bella girl. I need to meet that undereducated hussy who's chasing my grandson."

His words hit like a punch. I could only guess that this was Edward's other grandfather, and he seemed to have a very bad impression of me for some reason. I really wished Edward was here to confirm it, but he had been called out by Grandpa Eddie to assist him with something. I knew he'd be back any moment, and I silently prayed that he'd hurry.

"What's the name of your grandson, Sir?" I asked as politely as possible, needing confirmation.

"Edward!" he scoffed, appalled. "He owns this shameful waste of money and intellect-sapping wreck of a business. He wasn't raised to do something as mindless as hair. That bastard, Eddie, pushed my boy to open this place, so he could live vicariously through him. He can't let go of his failed attempt to maintain a viable business, and this ridiculous girl is feeding into the boy's distraction. He needs to take what my Mabel gave him and get a real degree, not work in some damn hair cutting copout shop."

"Wow, tell us how you really feel," Rose said, bringing up her customer to ring her out. Grandpa Jerry looked like he was about to say something, but Rose gave him a hard look and twirled her sheers in a daring manner, so he just let out a huff.

"Luckily for Edward, the shop has been very successful and is already turning a profit. I'm sure if he truly wants to pursue a formal education, everyone here would happily support him."

Grandpa Jerry's eyes cut around the room narrowly, like he didn't believe a word I'd said. I did my best to give him a bright smile. "Sir, if you'd like that haircut, I'd be happy to take you back to my chair. I usually focus on massages, but I have thirty minutes before my next appointment."

He looked me up and down confused. I gave him a smirk and reached my hand out to him. "I'm Bella Swan, Edward's girlfriend, and you're Grandpa Jerry. We haven't met formally, but I've heard about you. If you'd still like a trim, you can follow me." I waved him back, acting like that had been my original intent, when he didn't take my hand to shake. I half expected him to swear at me and leave, but he scowled at Rose a couple of times and followed me back to my chair. It was one I shared with Angela, and she was out taking lunch, so I had a few minutes to work on the ornery old man.

I had just put on his cape and started his comb-out, when Edward came in the back door. His eyes lit up, and he gave me that sweet smile that turned my insides into mush and made me want to make babies with him. As soon as he got within reach, I grabbed his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. It was just a light peck, but it was perfect like all of Edward's kisses. His cheeks turned pink, and he whispered a sweet, "Hi."

"Is everything alright with Eddie?"

He nodded, and Jerry let out a snort, drawing Edward's attention. His brow furrowed, "Grandpa Masen?"

"Don't look so surprised, boy. I needed a trim, and since you'd yet to bring this girl over, I decided to come meet her myself," he pointed at me sharply.

Edward closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and then he gently squeezed my arm. "I'll handle him, Bella, and I'm sorry for whatever he's said. Not everyone in my family agrees with him."

"They should, and they will. This is a money pit and a waste of time and intellect, Edward. You were meant for better things."

"Jerry!" Grandpa Eddie sneered as he came in the back door. "I see you're causing trouble like usual. Bella, have you officially met the drama queen of the family?"

"Yes, I have. I think our Rose makes him nervous, though."

He chuckled and winked at Rose, who held up her sheers with a taunting smile. He gave me a kiss on my cheek. "How are you holding up with this fool in your shop?" he asked with a soft smile.

"I'm doing alright. I'm giving him the standard smile and customer's-always-right treatment. If he was anyone else, I would've turned him over to Rose to handle."

Jerry gasped, and Rose gave him a smirk, while she snipped her sheers in his direction. "I'd be happy to take over anytime, Bella."

"That's alright, I'll handle my granddad. Grandpa Eddie was hoping to get a quick neck rub," Edward informed me.

I handed over the sheers to him and took Eddie's hand. "Come along, big guy, I've got another twenty minutes free."

Once we were safely tucked away in the room, Eddie turned to me frowning. "Jerry's a jackass, always has been one. Don't let him get to you."

"I think I'll do my best to avoid him and let Edward handle that side of the family." I helped Eddie onto the table.

"He was so dead set against Edward opening this place. Can't he see how happy it makes him?" Grandpa Eddie sighed.

I flipped on the soft music. "Enough about that or this won't work. Where do you need me?" I expected him to say something obnoxious and inappropriately silly, but he mumbled out shoulder, neck and head, so I got right to work. He was tight, and I realized as I handled him that he most likely had limited range of motion in his shoulders. "Do you have a PT to work on your shoulders?" I asked.

"I'm old," he sounded defeated.

I took his arm and gently manipulated it to stretch his shoulder. "I think I'm going to need more than twenty minutes with you, Eddie. Why don't we set you up a regular appointment? I think we can loosen you up and give you back some more movement. I suspect you have some pretty intense headaches."

He let out a sigh, "Yes, but I have strong meds to handle them. You're too sweet, Bella. I don't want to take up any of your profitable time. I'm fine. I had a bad episode today. My pills have kicked in. I just feel a little tight."

"Alright, now hush and focus on the soft music. This won't do you any good if you're not relaxing."

We were silent for the last fifteen minutes that flew by too fast. Eddie really did need more regular appointments. I decided to talk to Edward and see if I couldn't find a way to have free time conveniently open when Grandpa Eddie frequented the shop. The light knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts. I peeked out of it to see an annoyed-looking Jasper. "That old man's a douche. Don't let him upset you. Also, your appointment is here."

Eddie was getting up, and Jasper gave him a fist bump. "Good to see you, man."

"It's nice to be seen. Is the douche still out there?"

"Yeah, Edward is just finishing up with him now."

"Good, I'll get him out of your hair. We don't need him here mucking up business."

Edward was shaking out the cape, while Jerry eyed his new cut in the mirror. "I guess it'll do. Going to a school to learn this is a waste of time and money, just like opening this place was."

"Shut up, you bitter old fool, and take your rickety ass out of here. Your wife would be rolling over in her grave if she heard the way you're treating your grandson."

"How dare-"

"Oh, shut up, and move it." Eddie used his cane to knock the walker in Jerry's direction.

"Well, I never!" Jerry huffed.

"Obviously, now get out, before I turn Rose on you. You may not actively use those grapefruit-sized balls of yours, but I can't imagine you wanting to be separated from them," Eddie threatened Jerry.

Edward helped his Grandpa Jerry out of the chair, not saying a word. I had a feeling their fighting was a common occurrence.

"Your Elizabeth would be the one throwing a fit. How could you push our boy into something so stupid as a barber shop? She left him money, so he could get a real education and fulfill his dream, not yours."

"You just can't handle that the boy takes after my side of the family. He's a Cullen through and through, nothing is going to change that."

Edward was pinching his nose, like he was trying to stave off a headache himself.

"Jerry, hon, I think it's time to go," Laurant, of all people, wrapped his arm around Jerry and started pushing him toward the exit. Jerry was so stunned and distracted by the styled _literal_ bird's nest on Laurant's head, that he didn't fight him. Laurant got him out of the door and shut it firmly. The few people waiting for service applauded him. Laurant curtsied with a cheeky smile. "Oh, stop, you wonderful people."

"You did great, Son, only next time, put your foot in his ass and shove him out a little faster," Eddie suggested.

Laughter erupted from the whole place, but I noticed Edward didn't find the mess amusing. If I didn't have a customer waiting, I would've pulled him aside, but I didn't have the time at the moment. I knew I'd have to make sure to talk with him about everything later. I knew he'd most likely need a headache massage himself to relax. Now if I could just get him to let me rub down a few other places, I knew I could really loosen him up.


	7. Chapter 7

**BETA NOTE: This is now beta'd. And Savannavansmutsmut was right, I will strangle her as soon as I get my hands on her for posting something unbeta'd. I'm going to paddle her behind good and proper. Oh, wait, never mind. She'd like that too much. Yes, I was SLEEPING at midnight, but I'm usually not, and I have her spoiled, being at her beck and call at that hour. She just needs to move to Austin and buy the house that's for sale next door to mine so we can just run back and forth and bang on each other's windows!**

**Chapter 7 - Charades**

**BELLA**

I was booked solid for massages and was only given enough time to poke my head out of my room and call back my next customer. Each time I peeked out, I saw Edward at the front counter, offering a watered-down version of his welcoming smile. His Grandpa Jerry had really crapped on his day, and it was pissing me off that the old fart had hurt my man.

I finally had a free hour, just before close. I tried to keep it open, so I could do a deep, thorough cleaning of everything, before I closed up for the night. I had already made the decision to stay late. I needed to find my man and fix that smile of his.

When I finally emerged from my room, I didn't see him.

"He went out the back door," Jessica said with a frown.

I'd admit to walking much faster than normal to get to him, and well, I might possibly have run. I was worried he'd decided to go home and would no longer be on the steps, but I was relieved to see him sitting out there. He was slouched, with his head in his hands.

My hands immediately went to work on his shoulders, neck and head, hoping if he felt more relaxed, he'd open up to me. "Hey, handsome," I whispered in his ear and kissed his neck, as I worked on him.

He turned his head to see me and gave me a genuine smile, making me feel a little bit better. I decided he needed a cuddle and climbed into his lap. His arms naturally wrapped around me, keeping me steady on his lap.

"So…tough day," I prompted.

He snorted and looked away. I was starting to worry that there was some validity to Jerry's argument about Eddie pushing his dream on Edward. I wanted Edward to be happy, and I knew if he wanted to, he could go on to a university and become anything he wanted to be, with everyone's full support.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked.

He looked at me confused, so I elaborated. "If you could have any job in the world, sky's the limit, or not even, if you want to be an astronaut, if you could be anything, what would you be?"

"What would I be?" he asked frowning.

"Yes, do you want to be an astronaut or a fireman, rancher, forest ranger, rocket scientist, doctor, research scientist, robotic engineer, inventor of some kind…?"

"Why are you asking me that? Do you not like what I do now? Do you think I'm not good enough?" He didn't sound mad, but more disappointed.

"I just want you to do whatever you want to in life. I don't want you to have any regrets or feel like you're being held back."

"Held back?"

"Edward, do you really want to be a barber and run the shop, or is there something else out there that you want to do instead?"

"Is me being a barber not good enough?" he asked in a quiet voice. He looked so hurt and worried.

I cupped his cheeks and kissed him hard. "You'll always be good enough, no matter what you do."

"Then why do you want me to do something else?"

"I just want you to do what makes you happy, and after hearing Jerry say the shop was Eddie's dream, not yours, I began to worry. You know we'd all support you if you wanted to go to a university for something else. We could hold down the fort, while you earned your degree in whatever you wanted, honey. We all love you; we could find a way to make it work."

He pouted so adorably, "But I don't want to go to a university. I opened the shop, because I loved it when I was a baby, and I love it now. It's always felt like home to me."

I hugged him tightly. "Thank heavens, I would've missed you."

"Missed me?" he asked so cute.

"If you went off to a university, you would've been too busy to see anyone," I lamented, while I played with his hair.

"Well, I don't want to go, so there's no reason to miss me."

"So, you're really, truly happy with what you do?" I asked. It was so important to me that he was.

He nodded yes at me and blushed. "I hope that's okay…"

"That's more than okay. I think we've already established that I like having you around. Even on the busy days that I don't see much of you, it's nice to know that you're just outside the door."

"Yeah, it's nice to know you're there, too," he added, and then a few moments later, his brow furrowed.

His focus was on his back window, and when I tried to see what he was looking at, Grandpa Eddie had his arms bent and flapped them a little like a chicken and did a couple of stretching exercises, which reminded me about his bad shoulder. "Hey, Eddie needs to come in to see me regularly. He doesn't want to take up any of my profitable hours, but I was thinking…if I just happened to have an open session every time he came in, then I could get him on my table without a fight."

"Is he okay?" Edward sounded worried, but still a little distracted by his grandpa's odd behavior.

"His shoulder is tight. It's probably why he was doing those exercises." I glanced back again, only to see him rubbing his belly. As soon as he saw me looking, he started patting his head. He was an odd fellow. "His bad shoulder is most likely what caused his headache today," I said looking back at Edward, but again, he was staring at the window, looking perplexed.

I looked back once again and saw Eddie was dancing with an invisible partner. When he realized I was looking, he quickly stopped what he was doing and tried to play it off as more stretching. There was definitely something else going on.

"What's going on with your grandpa?" I asked hoping he had a clue. I was worried Eddie might have dementia.

"Ah…he…" Edward scratched the back of his neck and then scowled at the window. When I looked at what Eddie was doing again, I giggled. He was faking making out with an invisible girl.

"Is he alright?"

"He's…he's…just…" Poor Edward was a flustered, blushing mess. He finally made a cutting motion across his neck while looking at Eddie, and Eddie's response was a shrug, before he put his hands on his chest and reached out, like he was telling Edward he was just trying to help. He then winked at me and blew me a kiss. He was such a cheeky old rascal.

"So, do you want to tell me what's going on with him?" I pushed again. I was pretty sure Edward knew what was going on, and it wasn't dementia.

"Just do it!" I heard Eddie shout from their house.

I had a feeling I wasn't going to get it out of Edward, so I grabbed the bull by the horns. "What, Eddie? What's he supposed to do? And by the way, you're horrible at charades!"

He laughed and grabbed his cane from the doorway and made his way out into the backyard. "My boy is shy. Your beauty leaves him tongue-tied. I told him he needed to make a move," Eddie did a little hip wiggle. I burst out laughing and felt Edward drop his head onto my shoulder.

"So, Edward, are you going to make a move on me?" I gave him a little nudge.

"Esme is going to pick me up around seven o'clock this evening. It's bingo night, and I have a date with lots of blue-haired beauties. That means his house will be quiet and vacant in the next thirty minutes. I'm not going to be home until a little after ten o'clock tonight. Remember what I said about grabbing hold, Bella? Now would be a good time to do it," Eddie instructed.

I tipped Edward's chin up, pulling him out of his hiding place against my shoulder. "Do you have plans tonight?" I asked, a little nervous myself. _No wonder he couldn't do it._

He shook his head no.

"Do you want to hang out this evening?"

"Debauchery, Bella, debauchery! Invite him to have a night of debauchery with you!" his grandfather cheered, making me feel better.

"Are you interested in having a night full of debauchery with me? If not, we could have a normal one of takeout and maybe watch a movie," I offered, trying not to scare my innocent boy.

"I vote for debauchery, Edward, and I suggest you do, too. You won't regret it, not with this pretty girl," Eddie egged him on.

"Maybe a normal night…to start," Edward offered, and my smile was huge.

"Wonderful, let me clean up my workroom, and I'll meet you back here at 7:30pm," I said jumping up, excited to start our night together.

"He said '_to start,'_ Bella, keep that in mind. He didn't fully rule out the debauchery," Eddie pointed out, causing me to laugh.

"Grandpa," Edward whined.

"Hush, boy, I'm helping you out here," he ordered him. They were both too cute.

I felt like the cleaning was taking forever, but every time I glanced at the clock, I saw only a few minutes had passed. I was ready to be done with this and alone with Edward.

"What are you up to, boss lady?" Jasper asked me with a smirk. "Got big plans?" he taunted.

I shrugged. "Edward and I are going back to his place as soon as I'm done here."

Jasper looked around the shop, frowning. "I think he took off already."

I felt a ping of nerves in my chest. "We're meeting on the back steps at 7:30pm."

"Cool, me and the girls can wrap up here if you want to skip out early," he nodded out the open door as Laurant walked by, and he pinched Jasper's butt. Jasper just stuck his studded tongue out at him and waggled it, along with his brows. Both of those men were sassy flirts.

I checked my room once more and nodded, "Yeah, that'd be nice. Do you mind?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I did. It's not like we have far to go. We live just upstairs."

"Alright, thanks," I said grabbing my purse and rushing to the back door. As soon as I opened it, I was met with Edward's firm chest and a face full of flowers.

"Oh, sorry," he steadied me.

"You got me flowers?" I asked melting.

He smiled sweetly. I took them in my hands and inhaled deeply. They were wonderful. Unfortunately, I inhaled a petal or something, and I sneezed wildly.

"Oh, no, you're allergic to pollen. Of course you're allergic to pollen, everyone is. I should've brought you chocolates. I'm so-"

"Edward, I'm not allergic to pollen, well, not this pollen, anyways. I just sniffed a bit hard, but for future reference, I do like chocolate, too, so if you ever feel so inclined…"

He smiled widely. "I'll keep that in mind." He stuck his arm out for me to take, so I did, and he escorted me across the alley through his back gate. "I set a vase out for you to use, so your flowers don't die. You can keep it. I have plenty."

"You have plenty vases?"

"They were Grandma Elizabeth's. Grandpa brought her flowers every week for years. I seriously have several storage cabinets full of vases of different sizes, shapes and colors."

"Will Eddie be alright with me taking one?"

Edward snorted. "Yeah, he let me know, in no uncertain terms, that I needed to use everyone of those vases when it came to you. Believe me, he doesn't mind at all."

Edward was usually quieter, but he seemed a bit looser at the moment. "What did you want to order for dinner?" I asked.

"Oh, I got your usual," he said nervously, more like my Edward.

"Usual?" I was curious to see if he did know what my usual was.

"Yeah, you always order orange chicken from the Rice Bowl on Friday nights. Did you want something else? I can get you something else." He was on the edge of being frantic, when I grabbed his arm and squeezed.

"Orange chicken is my favorite, and it's sweet of you to notice what I like."

He smiled and blushed. "It's my job, you know, since you're mine," he said peeking at me from under his lashes.

I couldn't resist anymore. I grabbed hold of his face and kissed him hard. I could taste the remnants of an alcoholic beverage in his mouth. "Were you drinking?"

He looked at his feet nervously. "Grandpa said I needed a shot of liquid courage…to work up to the debauchery," he mumbled the last part.

That was it. I was going to give him a night full of debauchery. I shoved him down on a chair and straddled him, dipping my tongue into his mouth, while my fingers dug into his hair. He was hard beneath me, making me grin like a Cheshire cat.

Debauchery indeed.

**A/N: Sorry to cut you off here. I will update with some fun time very soon. I'm finally done with In Love with a Stranger and can focus on this story completely now. Thanks for reading, and check out Dollybigmomma's story, Truth in Advertising. You'll like it :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**Dollybigmomma is my beta queen. I received thirty lashings for posting chapter seven before she got her hands on it, but she fixed it, so feel free to reread it. If you haven't checked out her story, Truth in Advertising, do it.**

**Chapter 8 - Sleepover**

Things were getting good. Edward was solid as a rock underneath me, and I encouraged him by nudging his hand up the back of my shirt, hoping he'd realize I was all for him feeling around. Of course, that was not what happened, not for a lack of trying. He'd just started to reciprocate, when the doorbell rang.

We both pulled apart, trying to catch our breath and get our wits about us.

"The food…it's probably the food. I should get it," he said. I jumped up off his lap, realizing I hadn't budged yet.

He stood up awkwardly, one hand sort of hovering in front of him, while he dug in his back pocket for his wallet. He was still hard, and he was obviously embarrassed by it. He was fumbling with the money and kept closing his eyes and breathing deeply. I figured he was having a hard time getting things under control, so I took the money from him. "I'll get the food. You get the coffee table ready, and we'll eat while we watch a movie."

He nodded and shuffled off toward the family room. "Tell the delivery guy to keep the change," he called after me.

There were two drinks and two place settings lain out on the little coffee table. Edward sat on the edge of the couch, holding a pillow in a death grip on his lap. I knew what was under there, and I was debating whether to eat or to jump the boy again, then he cleared his throat. "We should eat, before it gets cold."

The debate was over, so I dished us out a little bit of everything, because I wanted to try his General Tso's chicken. He was happy to share, and I insisted on giving him some of my orange chicken. We both ended up stealing more of the other person's food. I had found a new favorite.

Once we were done eating, he pointed over to a cabinet by the TV, "That's full of movies. You can pick what you want."

I gave him a cheeky grin. "I want you," I said then practically leaped on him. He caught me easily, pulling me back into his lap and moaned when my lips settled on his. I wasn't ready to go all the way, but I did want to be close to him. I wanted him to know I really was his. I hoped by showing my attraction to him, he'd gain more confidence around me. He was so friendly to everyone who came into the shop, but he was so shy when it came to interacting with me. I suspected he was afraid I would reject him, and I needed to make sure he knew that wasn't going to happen, ever.

I tugged on his shirt and pulled him with me to lie back on the couch. He hovered over me nervously, until I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him against me. "Debauchery, Edward, remember? You weren't the only one hoping for some."

He let out a shuddering breath and nodded, before his lips descended upon mine again.

I heard someone come in the front door and pulled back. Edward had just settled his hand on my breast under my shirt and thought I was pulling away from him. "I'm so sorry-" he started, but I cut him off.

"No, don't be sorry for that." I gave his hand a squeeze and kissed his knuckles, hearing what sounded like someone heading for the kitchen. "I think your grandpa's home."

He glanced at the clock and frowned. There was a rattling, like someone was collecting something metal. He jumped up and hurried to where the noise was. "Alice!" I heard him huff out.

"Edward!" she sounded startled. "What are you doing here?" I didn't understand her tone of voice, it was accusing.

"I live here."

"It's bingo night," she snapped.

"Put the silver back, Alice," he ordered. It finally sunk in. Alice had come over, because she'd thought he was gone, and she was stealing his silver…silver what, I didn't know, but it obviously wasn't hers.

"I…I…Well, what are you going to do with silver serving trays? It's not like you'd ever use them, and I need money. It's ridiculous that Gran left everything to you! I can't believe Grandpa Eddie went along with it. The judge throwing out my case was wrong. I deserve a cut of Gran's estate!" she snapped.

The bitch was jealous, but I knew for a fact that Edward had worked his butt off taking care of his grandparents, which was why everything had been left to him by his grandmother, and her husband had supported her decision wholeheartedly.

"You can't come in here and take things!" he fought back.

"You don't need them!" she shouted.

I'd had it with her. I didn't like her before, but I was ready to rip what little hair she had out of her thieving head and throw her out the damn door. I stormed in and yanked the serving trays and wooden case of what I assumed was a set of silverware from her arms. "Get out!"

"What are you doing here?" She had the nerve to sound offended.

I shoved the stuff into Edward's arms and got right in her face. "I said get out. You're lucky he's not calling the cops on you."

"You can't talk to me like that! Edward, tell her not to talk to me like that."

"Move it, now, because if I make you move, you're not going to be happy with the end result. If I can fight off a guy three times my size, I can sure as hell throw you out the front door."

She finally realized I was serious, and Edward wasn't coming to her rescue. "This is ridiculous. You're such a selfish bastard. I already sold those on E-bay. You're going to ruin my rating!" she complained, but she was walking backwards towards the exit.

"They weren't yours to sell." Edward sounded so hurt.

"Well, they shouldn't be yours!" she snapped.

I grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. She squeaked, as I shoved her toward the front door. "Run, bitch, or you're going to be sorry."

She glanced back at me and had brains enough to run out the door. I slammed it and locked it behind her. When I turned around, Edward was still clutching the silver, but he had tears running down his face. I pulled the things from his arms and sat them on the bench in the entryway. I pulled him into my arms for a tight hug. "I've got you," I whispered in his ear.

"She hates me. She doesn't understand that I keep the stuff for my grandpa. He says it's mine, Gran left it to me, but if I keep it here for him to use, then it's like it's still his and reminds him of her. They hate me."

"Oh, baby, she's just being a selfish bitch. You deserve everything your gran left you, and Eddie agreed with her. He told me why she did it. She loved you so much. Please don't let Alice's bad attitude hurt you." I wiped the tears from his eyes and kissed his lips lightly. "Come on, let's put this stuff away. I want to cuddle up with you."

"She's right, you know." I stopped and held back my anger. There was nothing right about Alice. "I'm never gonna use this stuff. When am I ever gonna throw a big family Christmas party like Gran used to?"

"You want a bunch of kids, don't you? Where do you think they'll celebrate Christmas? I know how to cook. I'll bet your gran left her recipe file here somewhere, and I can make her treats for our kids."

He let out a soft laugh and smiled big, "Our kids?"

I hadn't realized I'd said that last part and blushed red hot. I shrugged at him, completely embarrassed. Thankfully, he didn't seem appalled by the idea.

"I like your picket fence," I whispered.

He hugged me tightly, kissing me fiercely. He lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. Things were escalating fast. I hoped he didn't plan on making a kid tonight.

I hadn't realized he was taking me anywhere, until I felt my back hit his bed. My panic must have been clear on my face. He pulled back frowning. "You don't…"

"I've never…I'm scared…can we take it a little slower? We don't have to make the kids right now. I mean, we should wait until the shop is settled a little more."

He grinned so wide, confusing me. He got up and climbed onto the bed next to me. "I plan on waiting to make our kids until after we're married."

I let out a relieved sigh. "Good, that's a good plan."

He cupped my cheek and kissed me so tenderly, it melted my insides. He was finally taking initiative with me, and I was definitely going to encourage it.

Somehow, I ended up back on top of him. I was lost, grinding against him, when he grabbed my hips, stopping me, and moved me off of him. He chuckled, when I pouted. "Slower, remember, it was your idea," he admonished.

I nodded sheepishly. We'd somehow reversed rolls. He let me snuggle against him, and he kissed the top of my head. "Did you mean it, Bella?" I looked up at him, not sure what he was asking. "About the kids, the picket fence, is that something you'd want with me?" Insecure Edward was back.

"You're too beautiful not to have babies." I felt like an idiot when I said that. I was not sure what had gotten into me. There were a million other answers, better answers. His brow furrowed, and I twined my fingers in his hair, trying to distract him from my lame answer.

"I…" Yeah, he wasn't happy with my answer.

It was time I confessed my crazy. "You make my insides hurt. When you kiss me, I melt, and my body aches. Ever since Laurant teased me about making little Edwards, that's all I've been able to think about. Stupid, I know, but you're so sweet and wonderful, I want that. You're gonna make a great daddy someday." I bit my lip nervously. "Did I freak you out?" I asked quietly, afraid of his answer. I couldn't look him in the eye.

"Your body aches?" he asked worried.

I peeked at him and blushed.

His hand ran down my side, and I settled my nerves enough to grab his hand and pressed it just under my belly button. I looked up at him, willing him to understand. He must have, because he sucked in a breath and kissed me. He grabbed my backside, pulling me flush against him. I moaned out like the hussy I was and dug my fingers into his soft hair. He rolled over me, and that was where he was, when there was a knock on the doorframe. We pulled apart to see a smirking Eddie. "Just thought I'd warn you that I'm home. You weren't kidding when you said 'not yet,'" he teased.

"Not yet?" Edward asked me.

Eddie let out a loud laugh. "Don't worry, Edward, I have a feeling it won't be long."

"We've decided to wait, take it slow," he filled his grandpa in.

"Right, slow," he pointed at the bed. "I can only imagine what fast would be. I'm guessing you wouldn't be wearing so many clothes."

"Oh, my God," I covered my face.

"Don't worry, honey, I'm all for debauchery. Remember, I'm the one who suggested it."

I hid my face in Edward's chest. I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"I'm gonna head to bed. You should probably spend the night, Bella. There's a bad storm rolling in. It's probably not a good idea to go driving in it, especially in the dark."

"Stay," Edward looked down at me pleadingly.

I nodded yes, and he smiled that big beautiful smile I loved so much.

"Now that that's settled, I'm turning in. Goodnight, kids." We listened to Eddie shuffle down the hallway, and when we heard his bedroom door close, Edward jumped up and shut his.

He stood nervously, running his fingers through his hair and dropped his hand to the back of his neck like he did when he was worried about something. "I can…" he thumbed over his shoulder toward the door.

"Do you have something I can sleep in?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," he rushed to his dresser and dug out three different shirts and four different pairs of bottoms. One was a pair of his boxers, then a pair of sweatpants, a pair of sleep pants, and a pair of basketball shorts. I looked at all four and took into account that Eddie would most likely see me in them in the morning. I took his sleep pants and held them to my waist. They would definitely be way too long, but I figured I could roll them up, when I walked around. His tops were all a variety as well. There was a tank top undershirt, a t-shirt that said "I'm awesome" and the matching top to the pajama bottoms. I took that one, _might as well use the set. _

"Bathroom?" I asked_._ I wasn't ready to get naked in front of him just yet.

"I was gonna…" he pointed at the bedroom door again, but then redirected his finger to a door across the room. "There's one over there."

"Thanks." I was halfway across the room, when I realized I might have stolen his nightclothes. "Do you have something to wear to bed?" I could always trade what I'd picked for the basketball shorts and the "I'm awesome" shirt.

"Yeah, yeah," he yanked open his drawer and pulled out a different set of nightclothes. He hugged them tightly to his chest, looking so cute.

"Okay, why don't you change out here, while I change in there? I'll meet you in bed in a minute."

He gulped audibly, but I wasn't sure why. We had just been making out like the opening credits of a porno. I changed quickly and folded up my clothes on his sink. I nervously wrapped my arms around my chest. I contemplated wearing my bra to bed, but it was an underwire and would be painful. I decided to forgo it and just slip it back on before I went out of the room.

When I opened the door, Edward was just pulling his shirt over his head. His pretty chest made me wish he hadn't put it on. "Do you have an extra toothbrush?"

He nodded nervously, wrapping his arms around his middle, and I wondered if I should sleep in another room. He hurried into the bathroom and grabbed one for me, almost shoving it into my hands. I took his hand in both of mine and kissed it, not taking the toothbrush from him. "Do you want me to go?"

His eyes popped wide. "No! No, I want you to stay."

"Come on then, let's go brush our teeth," I coaxed him into the bathroom with me. There was two sinks, and he brushed his teeth at the opposite one. His bedroom was obviously the master. I could only guess that had been Eddie's doing. I had a feeling he'd fought with Edward about it.

He finished up first, but waited for me. I led him back into the bedroom. "Which side?" I asked.

"I'm usually here," he pointed to the left side. I nodded and climbed onto the right side. He stood silently just staring at me, and it was making me nervous.

"Is this okay?"

He seemed to snap out of it and quickly jumped into bed, sadly lying stiff as a board on his back, far away from me. I let out a huff and crawled over to his side of the bed and snuggled into his side like we'd been lying earlier.

I leaned up and kissed his lips, pleased by the big grin that greeted me. "Goodnight, baby," I whispered against his lips.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." His words were so simple, but felt so good. I couldn't wait for the day that I could hear them every night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Beta's by the beautiful Dollybigmomma.**

**Check out her story ****Truth in advertising****. **

**In Love with a Stranger****, has been nominated to be one of the top ten fan fictions finished in March. Go to twifanfictionrecs dot com and vote for it and check out the other stories, too. They have an awesome collection of finished stories. **

**THE CUTTING EDGE**

**Chapter 9 – Picking Melons**

Apparently, my subconscious believed I belonged on top of Edward, because that was exactly where I woke up, with his morning wood pinned beneath me. I wiggled a little, and he pushed up into me. Those thin sleep pants left nothing to the imagination. I looked up to see if he was awake, but he looked sound asleep, mouth hanging open.

I rubbed against him, and he let out a deep throaty moan, still not waking. I was feeling naughty and wondered how far I could get, before he woke up. I started rubbing against him a little more and kissed his collarbone, which was all I could reach from my position. I felt his hand flex on my backside, and I watched his face, wondering if he'd wake. The problem was, I was getting a little too into it myself. It was not like I'd never gotten off before, I'd just never gotten off with another person before, and it felt good, really good.

I shoved his shirt up, needing more skin to kiss and maybe nibble it a little. His breathing was deep and heavy, but his eyes were still closed. Just as I found my release, he grunted and stiffened beneath me, his brow furrowing, before his eyes opened. He gasped and sat up quickly, slipping out from under me. "Bella, I, um, ha…" He wasn't getting any words out. I rocked forward and bit his side. He jumped a little and glanced down at his lap and then back up at my face. I grinned widely at him and winked.

"Why don't you go take a shower and clean up? It's still early, so I'm just gonna lie here a little longer, okay?"

He nodded yes, and I flopped back on the other side of the bed, feeling very relaxed. As soon as he was in the bathroom, I snuggled back on his side and into his pillow. I must have fallen back to sleep pretty quickly, because the sun was much higher, when Edward woke me up with a tray full of food. Actually, it was the smell of the yummy food that woke me up.

Edward stood nervously by the bed, holding one of the silver trays Alice had tried to steal the night before. "Breakfast in bed? You keep this up and you won't be able to get rid of me," I teased.

Edward blushed and glanced back at the doorway, where Eddie gave him a thumb's up. The pair of them were too cute.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I made a little bit of everything."

He wasn't kidding. There were eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, hash browns, pancakes, fruit, and grits.

I scooted back against the headboard and took the tray from him. "Come sit with me," I said patting the bed. "Do you like eggs, Edward?" I asked and picked up a delicious piece of crispy bacon.

"Yes, but-"

I had my fork at the ready and shoved a bite into his mouth. "Good, because I don't, but I'm not sharing the pancakes, they smell wonderful."

"You don't like eggs?" he asked worried and shook his head. "I should've asked first. I should've-"

I shoved another forkful of eggs into his mouth, cutting off his lamenting. "I'm glad you made eggs, because now I don't feel guilty about not wanting to share the pancakes with you. So tell me, Edward, what's your favorite breakfast food?" I asked, taking a huge bite of pancake and made sure I hummed my pleasure, so he wouldn't beat himself up about the eggs anymore.

"Well, I like eggs, and pancakes."

"I'm not sharing," I sang teasingly. I coaxed a big grin out of him, which was just what I wanted. "If you're good, I'll let you have some bacon, but I have a feeling I'm really going to like your sausage," I said suggestively, causing him to guffaw.

We talked a little more about what we liked to eat for breakfast and what we did on Saturday mornings. We opened the shop at 10:00am, and it was only around eight o'clock, so we had time to laze around a bit more.

"So why the grits?" I prompted.

He shrugged. "Grandpa thought you'd like them. I'm not fond of them myself. They don't have enough flavor the way they're cooked. I'm pretty sure it's just because neither of us really know how to cook them, but yeah, I'm not sure why he thought they were a good idea."

I scooped a bit of egg onto the toast and held it out for him to bite. He blushed and smiled before he bit down. I scraped the last bit of egg onto the toast and handed it to him. "You work on this while I finish my pancakes, and then we can share the hash browns and fruit."

"I really meant for all the food to be for you."

"Edward, I know I ate most of your General Tso's Chicken last night, but I'm usually not a pig. I'm happy you made so much, though. I don't think I would've liked eating in front of you alone or sitting in here eating by myself. If you plan on spoiling me like this again, definitely do the eggs, because I'd feel bad about not wanting to share the pancakes with you."

"So it was really okay?"

"More than okay. Like I said, you keep this up and you won't get rid of me. It's bad enough that your mattress is soft and your jammies are comfy, then you throw in your warm snuggly self and breakfast in bed…boy, I'm never leaving."

He chuckled, wearing that perfect smile. I leaned over and kissed his lips. "You're awesome," I mumbled against his lips and then remembered his shirt. "That's why you have a t-shirt that says, 'I'm Awesome.' You weren't bragging; you were being informative."

"You're a goof. My Grandma Mabel bought that shirt for me, when I mastered my chemistry chart."

"She was just stating the obvious," I said plainly and took a bite of fruit. It was so sweet and perfect. "Yes, you're definitely awesome. Who picked this fruit? It's perfect, not overripe or green, but just right."

"That was grandpa. He's a bit obsessive about his fruit. He really likes squeezing the melons."

"He does?"

"Yeah, he checks them for firmness and then smell. He's been showing me how to pick them. Maybe you could come with us some time to get some, if you want."

"Will you squeeze my melons for me, Edward?"

"Yeah, I'm sure I could find you a good one."

"Edward, I want you to squeeze _my_ melons." I did a little shimmy, and his eyes popped wide.

"Oh, oh, those, so not at the store, yeah, okay." He glanced at the open door, and I giggled.

"Let's finish eating and clear the tray off the bed first. I tend to get distracted, when I get my hands on you. I don't want to make a mess or break anything," I suggested.

He bit his lip, and his eyes were full of mirth, but he nodded in agreement. We both ate a little faster, and he was quick to set the tray aside on his dresser and shut his bedroom door. He practically leaped onto the bed, and I encouraged it by welcoming him with open arms. I was quick to get him under me and attacked his lips and neck. I was rocking against him, and his hand was flexing on my hip, like he wasn't sure if he wanted me to slow down or hurry up. His other hand was sneaking its way up my shirt; I was sure trying to be positive that I really did want him to squeeze my melons. The moan I let out when he finally got his hand on one was sure to reassure him that he was doing just what I wanted.

Again, since God hated me, we were interrupted.

"Edward?" a woman called sounding upset. I pulled back, giving him a chance to answer, but he didn't. "Where are you? Get out here right now!"

"Esme, it's not-"

"Eddie, I'd like to speak with my son alone on the matter."

"No, you'd like to try and guilt him into something, like you always do. He told me what Alice was here doing."

"I can't believe he'd talk that way about his sister," she said shocked.

"You mean tell the truth, when I asked him why the good silver was out this morning? Thank heavens his girl was here to put that brat in her place!"

"Alice is not a brat, and I'm done speaking with you, Eddie." The woman, his mother, Esme, sounded like she was headed down the hall at full speed. I didn't see this ending well, because I already wanted to kick her out of the house. I had a feeling Eddie would give me a hand or at least let me borrow his cane.

I moved off of Edward's lap and settled next to him just in time to look casual, before his mother slammed the door open. "Edward…" she started, but when her eyes landed on me, she stopped, looking at me confused. "She's still here?"

"Yes, she's my girlfriend," he said quietly, and I wondered if his mom had actually heard him.

"This is a private matter," she glared at me and was on the verge of kicking me out, but I wasn't about to allow that.

"If it's about what Alice was trying to pull last night, it's not private, and I hope you're not here to pester him about it."

"You're an outsider to this family. You don't know how things work with us."

When she called me an outsider, Edward's grip on my hand tightened. I wasn't an outsider to him, or Eddie.

"I think I know how things work. Edward is a sweet man who puts up with your family's crap, keeping his mouth shut like a good boy. He doesn't talk back to Jerry, and he bends over backwards to take care of everyone, because you expect him to. You're lucky he's so kind, that he takes your bullshit and does it. And then you have a bitchy selfish little girl who wants to steal things from him, and you plan on trying to guilt him into giving everything up. That's not going to happen."

"This is none of your concern," Esme huffed.

"It is, because I love him, and it should be yours, but it obviously isn't. Do you even know why he keeps this stuff?"

She looked at me like I was nuts.

"For Eddie, if he keeps the stuff around, then it'll feel like it's still his and it reminds him of his wife. You're selfish little bitch of a daughter was trying to come in and steal it right out from under their noses, and you're obviously condoning it. She's a thief. There's no telling how many other mementos she's stolen and sold."

"The estate wasn't balanced. Edward isn't going to use most of her things, anyway. There's no reason for him to hold onto them. What on earth does he need a silver serving tray for?"

I pointed to it sitting on the dresser next to us, "For breakfast in bed. I think you should go. His grandma left him everything for a reason. I thought you of all people would know and recognize that. Even Eddie supported his wife's decision. Why can't you?"

Her eyes narrowed at Edward, and I leaned in front of him. "He knows it wasn't settled right. Elizabeth wasn't in her right mind, when she wrote that into the will, and Eddie is a fool to stick with it. You know this, Edward."

"I think you should leave, now," I said forcefully.

"What are you going to do, kick me out like you did my daughter?" she taunted.

I nodded. "Yes, I am. I'm shocked at how you're treating your son and pandering to that little bitch. No wonder she turned out the way she did. You spoil her rotten and treat her like she's entitled. You both need to get it through your head that neither of you are entitled to a damn thing in this house. Edward paid his dues and still does, running around at everyone's beck and call, so no, she doesn't get the silver, we don't give a crap that her E-Bay seller's rating is going to drop, and you can bet your ass we're going to get on there and let people know that she's trying to sell stolen goods."

"You wouldn't! How dare you even think such a thing! You can't talk to me like this. Edward, tell her she can't talk to me like that!"

I squeezed his hand then got up and started for her.

"I'm your mother! You tell her to leave me alone. She can't throw me out of your house!"

"Oh, I think she can." Eddie was in the hallway, giving me a supportive grin. I looked back at Edward and saw his eyes dart from his mother to Eddie. Eddie gave him a reassuring smile. "It's time for you to go, Esme, and I'm right pissed that you even suggested my Lizzy wasn't of sound mind. She was quick as a whip until that last month. We'd re-written that will back when Edward was still in high school, delivering papers to help pay the bills, while your little brat was out at her expensive technical school, sapping all the family funds, so no, she's not getting a damn dime of the estate, and I hope Lizzy comes back and haunts her mad for stealing her things. Now get out, because I have a feeling that Bella here is a scrappy little thing, and she's not gonna let you push her man around any longer."

I smirked at the pair of them, and Esme's eyes darted back at Edward, but he was focused on the bed. She let out a huff, "This isn't over."

"Yes, it is, unless you want to push the issue and get the cops involved, but that's up to you," I shrugged, as I walked forward. She was moving backwards at a steady pace, and I was happy she was. I think things would have been really awkward if I'd had to manhandle my future mother-in-law.

She kept gapping and stuttering at me, unable to get up the nerve to challenge me. She really didn't know me, so I was pretty much a wildcard. Eddie was holding the front door open. "Goodbye, Esme, and don't come back." He slammed it and gave me a high-five. "Little girl, you got spunk."

"Thanks, I think."

"No, thank you. I've been trying to get those nuts away from my boy for years, but he always tells me not to worry about it. I'm so glad he let you step in for him. He needs someone to stand up for him and show him that he's better than the way they treat him. I knew that'd be you."

I blushed a deep red and looked back down the hall to where we'd left Edward. I hoped he'd be okay with me stepping in. I'd pretty much just told off his mother. I didn't know how that was going to go over.

"Go to your boy. He's waiting for you."

I hurried down the hall, but slowed as I approached the door. Edward was still looking down at his lap, twisting the blanket in his hands. "Edward?" I tested out.

He didn't look up. "Did you mean it?"

"What I said to your mom? Yeah, they're both nuts."

His hand went to the back of his neck. "I mean, about why…"

Why? I tried to run over our conversation and crawled up onto the bed. He didn't seem mad, just insecure. I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'm not sure what you're asking, but everything I said was the truth."

He swallowed hard and peeked up at me. "Even the part about how you feel…about me?"

It finally sank in what he was asking. I hadn't realized it at the time, but I had snapped and shouted that I loved Edward. It wasn't the ideal way for him to find out, but I guess it was just as good as any. I pushed him back a little, so I could climb into his lap. I wanted to make sure I had his full attention. I cupped his cheeks and pecked his lips lightly, before I looked him straight in the eyes. "I love you, Edward Cullen. I hope you're okay with that."

His answering smile was huge. "I love you, too, Isabella Swan."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he answered me with a kiss and wandering hands.

Yeah, he was definitely okay with it…and my melons.


	10. Chapter 10

**Beta'd by Dollybigmomma, who isn't feeling well. I hope you get better soon, baby.**

**Chapter 10 – Covering It**

**BELLA**

Pulling away from Edward felt impossible, but the alarm on my phone had gone off for the fourth time. I couldn't justify snoozing it anymore. Even if we were just across the alley, we weren't dressed. That was the other problem; I didn't have any clothes at Edward's place.

"I need clothes," I mumbled against his lips. His fingers flexed on my hip, like he was trying to decide whether to slide them up my shirt or grab my butt. "We have to get to work."

He took a couple of deep breaths and pulled back, squeezing his eyes tight. He was trying to get himself under control. I decided to help him out by squirming out of his arms and off the bed. I opened his top drawer and started to dig around, wondering if maybe he had some sort of underwear I could steal, because mine were embarrassingly dirty from all his attention.

He came up behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder. His hands sat safely on my hips, with no intention of moving. "Dig a little more into the back. There should be some smaller pairs I outgrew." He reached past me, and his front came in contact with my back. He had it under control, but his body being so close to mine made my insides curl in excitement. I reached behind me and squeezed his butt, pressing his body hard against mine. I wiggled a little, rubbing against him just right. His hand left the drawer and found my breast, and I quickly turned around to attack his lips.

I somehow ended up pinned against the wall, panting his name like a hussy, when Eddie knocked on the door and opened it. "It's getting a bit late, were you two going in today? Because if you need the house so you can work on making me some great-grandbabies, I can step out and grab myself a drink at the café."

I was mortified and hid my face in Edward's chest, leaving him to answer his grandpa. He cleared his throat, before he said, "She was just looking for clothes."

Eddie's eyes darted between the two of us. "Right," he said dragging out the word. "You should check the trunk, Edward. She looks to be about Lizzy's size."

My eyes shot to Eddie's. He had to be crazy if he thought I would wear his dead wife's clothes.

"I've got her covered," Edward answered him. Eddie nodded and then left the room, closing the door after himself. "So, clothes," he rubbed his neck and then pointed at his dresser. "I have some stuff you can try, or I can run yours through the wash real quick."

"We should probably wash my clothes, but maybe just leave them here, just in case this happens again." I looked up at him sheepishly, hoping he'd tell me it'd definitely be happening again. He blushed and nodded his head yes.

"Go ahead and take what you want," he said, pointing to the dresser. He picked up mine and his clothes and started out the door.

"Wait, Edward, don't forget these." I kicked off his sleep pants and pulled off my panties. The sleep shirt was long enough that it kept everything covered, but his mouth was still hanging open. I shoved them inside the pile, not wanting them on top for him to look at when he put them in the washer. When he walked out of the room, I got right to digging into his dresser. I did find a pair of boxer briefs that looked a bit smaller than the others, and my booty was big enough to fill them out enough to hold them up. I rolled the waistband a couple of times, and it sat nicely against my skin. I was pretty sure they weren't going to come off. I slipped into the bathroom and found my bra where I'd left it. I whipped off the sleep shirt and put my bra on, then walked out to find some more clothes.

Edward was in the bedroom, digging in the dresser himself. "I think I have a pair of sweatpants that are a little smaller. They'd still be huge on you, but…" He turned around and saw me standing there only wearing underwear. He cleared his throat and forced his eyes to look at my face. He held out the black sweatpants, and I took them, bending over to pull them on. I tightened the string to make them fit on my waist and bent over again to roll the pant legs up. When I looked up at Edward, his eyes were once again fixed on my breasts. He was going to make it very hard to go to work. "If you keep looking at me like that, we're not going to get out of this room," I warned.

He let out a little whimper and stepped back. His hand went to his neck like always. I could see the internal debate.

"Go out, Edward, I'll be there in a minute." I didn't have to tell him twice. He was quick to hurry out of the bedroom. I pulled out a white tank top undershirt and found a black button-up. I put the tank top on, and then leaving the shirt unbuttoned, I rolled it up, tying it in a knot under my breasts and then pulled my hair up in a bun. It wasn't the finest look, but it wasn't bad, either, considering what I had to work with.

I could hear Edward pacing in the hall. When I opened the door, I made sure to smile big at him. I didn't want him to think I had been rejecting him, when I'd kicked him out of his room. I took his hand and pulled him close to me. I gave him a little tug and puckered my lips, so he'd know I wanted a kiss. He happily obliged and wrapped his arms around me. He could build a fire in me so quickly. I was about ready to eat his face off, when I heard Eddie thump his cane against the hall wall. "Were you two headed out?" he asked with an amused look.

Edward set me on the floor once more. I didn't know how I'd ended up wrapped around him again, my legs around his waist, pressed up against the wall. It was shocking how fast things accelerated between us. "Yeah, we were just on our way out. You call me if you need anything," my sweet man insisted.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill, you two get out of here. I can barely hear the TV over your moaning and groping," Eddie teased.

"Oh, my…" I hid my face in Edward's chest, causing both men to chuckle. Edward put his arm around me and ushered me out the back door and toward the shop. "You make me such a hussy," I mumbled into his side, and I felt the rumble of his laughter. I peeked up at him to see his perfect smile looking down at me. The embarrassment was worth it to see that smile. "I love you."

His grin grew even wider. "I love you, too." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. That was probably a good thing. For some reason, when our lips met, everything else disappeared. I didn't want to lose my virginity in the alley, though, and I hoped we could keep ourselves under control in the shop. I knew it'd be a challenge.

We had walked in, ready to check the books, when Laurant asked me, "Is that a hickey on your neck?" When he pointed to my neck, my hand shot to it, and Edward was quick to try and peek at it. "Ten bucks, pay up!" Laurant said waving his hand at Tanya.

"Oh, you slutty whore, you're corrupting our innocent boss here," she taunted and stuck her tongue out at Laurant, as she handed over the ten dollars.

"Shut up, Tanya, I think it's cute," Rose said a little wistfully. Jasper was smirking at me and gave Edward a thumb's up when he thought I wasn't looking, but of course the fool didn't take into account that we were both standing in front of mirrors. When Edward was trying to be sneaky, he was very good about being out of view of not only me, but the mirrors, yet that hadn't stopped Jasper from tattling on him. And thank heavens he had, or I'd have no reason to check for hickeys.

I heard the shop bell ring and turned to welcome our new customer. "Billy!" I was shocked, but happy. I loved Billy, even if his son was an ass. Billy had tried to help me as much as he could when my parents died.

"Little Bella, look at this place. I heard it was amazing, and I had to see it with my own eyes," he said proudly. I gave him a big hug. He patted my head and cupped my cheeks when I pulled back. "Are you eating good?"

"Probably better than you," I giggled.

"You don't have to rub it in," he played.

"So what brings you to this part of the world? I'm sure it wasn't just my shop. That's nearly a two-hour drive."

"I know, I was running errands, and the doctor let me know Jake had woken up."

"Doctors, what happened?"

"It's the damnedest thing. I've always wondered if he was on drugs or something, but I knew for sure he was when I got the call that he was in the hospital up here in Port Angeles."

"Oh no, did he overdose?" I didn't think Jake had a drug problem.

"No, they found him unconscious. He woke for a short time and started crying about ninja ladies, crouching tigers and hidden dragons. He's gone mad. They're going to have him evaluated by the psych ward. I don't know what I'm going to do with that boy."

"I'm sorry, Billy. You let me know if I can help with anything."

"Sure, Bella, but I don't think there's anything we can do. It's all up to the doctors now. I knew I shouldn't have let him watch the Power Rangers when he was growing up. Lady ninjas," he said shaking his head. I gave him one last hug and walked him out.

When I returned, Tanya and Rosalie were giggling. "Do you two know anything about what happened to Jake?"

Tanya smirked at Rose, and Rose flipped her sheers like a gunslinger. "Nope," she said a little too innocently. If Jake wasn't such an ass, I might've been upset.

I just threw my hands up. "I don't want to know."

"Bella, Bella, my beautiful Bella!" Emmett came in singing. I had just enough time to step around the counter, before he scooped me up in a hug and swung me around, nearly taking out a shampoo display.

"Emmett," Edward huffed.

Emmett put me down and patted the top of my head like a toddler. "She's not hurt. She's still her amazing self."

"What's going on? What are you talking about?" I asked him.

"It's not what _I'm_ talking about; it's what my mom and Alice are ranting about. You rock, little girl! I can't believe you put them in their place. I've been telling them to lay off Edward for forever, but they never listened, and you go in there and scare the ever living shit out of them." He grabbed me and tossed me in the air a little. Edward caught me and pulled me out of Emmett's reach.

"Oh no," I frowned.

"Oh yes! Don't be upset about it, though. They needed to be snapped into shape. Alice has been the pretty princess in the family for too long. She's twenty-four, for god's sake. She needs to leave her baby brother alone and grow the hell up. Dude, do you have a hickey on your neck?" he asked Edward. We both were quick to look. Emmett started to laugh loudly. "I'm just pulling your leg. I was wondering how far the pair of you had gone. If you're looking for hickeys, you're going to need these." He pulled out a strip of condoms. "Dad isn't here to give you the talk, but I'd be willing to bet you got the gist of things."

Edward snatched them out of Emmett's hand and shoved them into his pocket, turning red-faced.

"Emmett," Rosalie called to him, and his focus changed immediately, like he was being called by a siren. I saw Tanya move next to Rose, and the pair waved him over with their fingers. "Do you have any more of those?"

"Those?" I didn't think Emmett had any brain power at that moment.

"Condoms, honey, do you have any more of those?" Tanya asked this time.

His eyes snapped between the two, before his mouth caught up with him. He nodded yes and squeaked a little.

"Good, bring them with you when you come to dinner tonight," Rose said and kissed his cheek, while Tanya kissed the other. Emmett let out a whimpering groan that caused us all to laugh.

"Seven o'clock," Rose informed him.

"Don't be late," Tanya said with a grin. I had a feeling Emmett would be the one walking funny tomorrow, not them.

They went back to work, and Emmett turned and looked at me and Edward wide-eyed. He mouthed _"Oh, my god!"_ and whispered thank you to me. I didn't know why he was thanking me, I was just relieved that someone else in Edward's family liked me, but I wasn't going to question it. His brother was crazy, but in a kind and funny way. I could only guess he took after Eddie's side of the family, and thank heavens for that.


	11. Chapter 11

Dollybigmomma beta rocked this.

**Chapter 11 – Pushed**

**BELLA**

The day was going great. Emmett's visit left us all in a good mood. Even Edward was wearing a grin, and it seemed to get wider every time our eyes met…mine did, too.

We had just slipped into the back room for some "lunch," when his phone rang. He set me on the floor, and we begrudgingly parted, so he could answer it. I righted my shirt and fixed his hair, while listening in on his conversation. They needed his help at his mother's house again. It was something to do with his Grandpa Jerry. I hated sending him in there alone, but I knew he wouldn't turn them down. I was tempted to go with him, but he didn't know how long it would be, and I had a customer coming in thirty minutes.

"Can't it wait?" I begged. I didn't trust that side of his evil family.

"They can't move him when he gets stuck. Mom's just not strong enough," he frowned.

I ran my hand over his beautiful biceps. I knew exactly how strong he was, because he could hold me up and pressed against a wall for an indefinite amount of time without even flinching. I kissed him again for good measure and struggled to pull away. "Hurry back." I hated that I sounded so needy.

He gave my hand a quick squeeze, as he slipped out the door. "I will."

I watched him leave and shook my head. I had a bad feeling, and I hated that he had gone to his mother's house alone. Something was up. I just knew it.

Not long after he had left, Alice came stomping into our little shop, hands on her hips, eyes on fire. If she thought I wouldn't throw her out on her ear, she was sorely mistaken. "You're sticking your nose where is doesn't belong," she accused.

I smirked at her. "My nose is exactly where it's supposed to be. You need to leave, now," I answered coolly.

"This is family business, it's none of your concern, and the way you treated my mother was-"

"The way she deserved," I cut her off.

"Hey, now, ladies," Jasper stepped into the mess.

Alice smiled widely at him, batting her eyelashes and patted her hair. "Jasper, it's so nice to see you. Do you have any siblings?"

"Actually, I do have a brother and a sister."

"So you understand how it's not good for an outsider to get into your family's bus-"

"You were stealing the silver from Edward, STEALING, there are no family issues here, other than you being a thief."

She gasped, appalled. "Well, I never!" she huffed.

"Only because I stopped you. We still haven't checked E-bay for any other items you may have stolen from Edward's house to sell."

"You're taking his stuff?" Jasper looked confused and disappointed.

"It's my grandmother's-"

"No, it's Edward's; she left it all to Edward. Eddie's wife, Elizabeth, left Edward everything, because he spent all his time taking care of her and his family, like he still does," I glared at Alice.

"Why are you taking his stuff?" Jasper asked upset.

"It's…he…I…well, he's doesn't need it," she scrambled for words.

"That's not for you to decide," I growled stepping up to her. She took a step back and looked over at Jasper, probably hoping he'd step in and save her, but he was a huge fan of Edward and mine, there was no way he'd ever take her side in this mess. He shook his head at her and turned away.

"Jasper?" she whimpered.

"Goodbye, Alice," he sounded so sad. She burst into tears and ran out of the shop. I didn't like that she didn't head to the parking lot, though. I turned to Jasper and grabbed his arm, "Can you watch the shop? I need to check on Eddie. I don't like Alice showing up like she did. I have a gut feeling that she was here as a distraction."

He glanced at the back door and nodded for me to go, so I took off running. I burst straight in through the back door of Edward's house, not even bothering to knock. My stomach flipped, when I heard what was going on. "It's not yours or hers to sell!" Eddie was fighting with someone, most likely Esme.

"Let go!" I heard her snap.

"You're not taking them! You get out of here. Edward may not want to call the police, but I sure as hell will!"

"You're a stubborn old fool. Let go of it now!" Esme shouted, and just as I rounded the corner, she shoved Eddie back, yanking the case of silverware out of his hands, knocking him over. I darted behind him just in time to catch him and steadied him on his feet.

Esme was trying to get a better grip on the case she'd just won in the tug-a-war, but I wasn't letting her have her prize. Once I knew Eddie was stable, I slammed that bitch against the wall. "What the hell are you doing here? You have some nerve to come back here to steal Edward's stuff and attack his grandfather!" I ripped the case out of her hands and shoved her hard toward the door, causing her to stumble and almost fall. "Get out! I _will_ call the cops if you come in here again, I don't give a damn whether Edward wants to or not. You two need to be put in your place!"

I saw her glance at the silver serving trays that were once again in the entryway.

"Don't even think about it!" I grabbed her shoulders and shoved her hard toward the door again. "You touch Eddie again, and I'm gonna do more than shove you." I opened the door and used my foot to shove her out of it and down the porch. She landed on her hands and knees on the grass. Just as I suspected, Alice was standing by her car, watching the scene unfold wide-eyed. "You ever come back here again, I'm not holding back, and Edward will hear about what you did to Eddie!" I snarled and slammed the door.

I snatched up the silver and stormed into the kitchen. I was going to strangle that bitch if she stepped foot in this house again. I heard Eddie speaking from the other room. "Hey, Edward, your little lady came to play Wonder Woman. I'm guessing you were called away while the she-devils tried to infiltrate the Fortress of Solitude…Bella looks like she could use a minute of your time to help settle her down. She really lost it when Esme nearly knocked me over…No, Bella was able to keep me from falling-" It sounded like Edward had cut him off. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but it was obvious that he was saying it very loudly.

"I'm alright. Like I said, she caught me and saved me from breaking a hip. You know once one goes, the rest of your body is quick to follow. No, no, I'm fine, Son, just come home and console your girl."

He hung up the phone and made his way over to me. "Need a drink?" he asked pulling out a bottle of liquor.

"I'm underage," I reminded him.

"It's easy to forget. You're an amazing woman, Bella. Edward and I are lucky to have you in our family." He held up a shot glass in toast, before he chugged it.

The front door slammed, and the hurried steps announced Edward's arrival. He pulled me into his arms, squeezing me tightly and then kissed the top of my head. He reached out a hand to Eddie, who squeezed his. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. At worst I'll have a little bruising-"

"BRUISING?" Edward shouted. "I thought she just bumped you."

"No, she shoved him and ripped the silverware case away from him. He was tumbling over when I darted across the room. A second longer and we both would've been a tangled mess on the floor."

"Your girl has some fast feet," Eddie said and chugged another shot.

"Gramps, you're not supposed to be drinking. Where did you get that?"

He shrugged. "I go in for my dialysis in less than an hour. It won't even get past my stomach, and then I'll be in the clear."

"What the…?" Edward growled, but stopped himself. He grabbed the mostly full bottle and dumped it down the sink. Eddie looked past him and winked at me.

"I'm going to take you down for your treatment now," Edward huffed at his grandfather. He turned to me, kissing me softly, letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much for being here. If something had happened to him…" he choked up a little and then smiled at me again. "Thank you."

I kissed him a little deeper. Just his presence made my whole body relax. The anger I'd felt had seeped out of me the moment he touched me. "I've got a massage client due, so I need to get going. Come find me after you get home."

Eddie pulled me into a hug. "Thank you, again."

"What's family for?" I shrugged.

Edward's face lit up when I said that. It was Eddie who had called me family first, though, and I loved it. I truly felt like they were my family.

I put on some soft classical music during the massage to help me settle down. I needed to feel calm if I was going to help someone else relax. I knew I was doing a good job, when the person started snoring. I always felt like that was sort of an achievement. I gently woke them when their time was up, and they gave me a lazy grin and thanked me.

I had just finished checking them out, when Jasper came up behind me. He shifted nervously, as I closed the cash register and scheduled another appointment for my client. Once she was gone, Jasper grabbed my arm. "You need to come with me."

He ushered me into the back room, where his laptop was set up. "Why's this down here?" He really didn't have free time to play on his computer.

"Because I want to show you something," he said and logged in. He had an E-bay page open to a store called Wonderland. I thought it was a silly name, until Jasper pointed to a profile picture of the seller. "I looked up Alice Cullen. I was sure there was some sort of misunderstanding going on. I thought I'd do a little research and found this," he pointed to the recently sold items that were listed next to things currently up for auction.

The two silver platters were sold for $800, and the silverware went for $1000. That wasn't surprising, given the age and quality of them. What was surprising, though, were the items still listed for sale.

"You said that Edward's grandma left him everything, is that her?" Jasper asked pointing to a picture of an older woman at what looked to be a Christmas party. She was wearing a ruby jewelry set, authentic rubies, if you went by the seller's description.

I was too furious to speak.

"There's more." He clicked on another item. If there was any doubt, it was gone now. There was a picture of the older woman and Eddie at what looked to be some sort of anniversary party. She was wearing a diamond jewelry set, and that was the next item up for sale at Alice's Wonderland store. "It's her, isn't it? It has to be, because that looks a whole hell of a lot like Eddie."

I grabbed his computer and bid $50,000 on both pieces. Jasper just about had a heart attack. "Don't worry; you won't be paying, because she won't be delivering the goods."

"There's a pearl set, too," he pointed to another little link. It looked like a Mother's Day picture, and it made me sick, that not only did Alice want to steal from her brother, but she was using old family photos to sell family heirlooms. I put a bid of $50,000 on the pearls as well and went to the front desk. I had to calm down if I was going to come up with a plan.

I had two more appointments that afternoon and decided to call and cancel them. I rescheduled them with a huge discount, so they wouldn't be too upset about it all.

I looked around our little shop and was surprised it was so quiet. "Where did Rose and Tanya go?"

"They went up to get ready for your brother-in-law," Laurant informed me.

"He's not my brother-in-law yet," I corrected.

"Please, girl, I'm sure you're married in an alternate dimension somewhere. All the same, they are getting ready for your brother-in-law, and Angela is getting ready for a date with some math geek with hot glasses. Jessica, however, is coming out with me and my husband."

I wasn't sure what the heck they were going to be doing, but I knew I didn't want to ask. "Jasper, can you lock up?" I asked, as I grabbed my purse.

"Yeah, go take care of that mess," he said running weary hands through his hair. I gave the men hugs and took off out the back door. I had to find a way to stop Alice. I just hoped I wasn't too late for the jewelry. That would be a mess, and I'd insist that Edward involve the police if that was the case.


End file.
